Cavern of Death
by NancyBG-OldMaidWhovian
Summary: The Doctor and Clara find themselves exploring an ancient archaeological site. But someone or something else is lurking in the shadows, waiting for them. Many surprises await them in the darkness. As with all my Doctor Who fanfiction, this is a straight-forward story, with characters & plots staying as true to the actual series as possible, without plagiarizing scripts.
1. Chapter 1

Doctor Who: Cavern of Death

Chapter 1

The wind whistled through the gap in the tent door as Mari Gopal zipped up her parka. She pulled the hood up over her short-cropped blond hair. The moment she stepped outside a blast of icy mountain air seemed to cut right through her, feeling as raw as an open wound. It had taken her several days to adjust to the high altitude at the archeological site. Finally, she was able to breathe without the need for a dose of oxygen every few hours. Now at last Mari would find out if she had hit upon a prize-winning story—or news more suitable for the tabloids.

Professor Haliday was already waiting for her at the entrance to the cavern. The ofttimes arrogant and condescending man kept checking his watch while impatiently tapping his right foot. A habit Mari found just a teensy bit annoying. This morning, the professor promised that he would show her what she'd traveled thousands of miles to see. Mari decided she could put up with the man if it meant the possibility of a career breakthrough for her.

One of her former classmates from university had introduced her to Professor Haliday. Mari had been working as a features reporter for the _The Defender _for six years. And in that all that time there seemed to be no hope of breaching the ramparts of the forth floor of their London office block. That was where all the real news—the front page stories, were written. Tired of writing stories about ice sculpting contests, alpaca breeding and Elvis impersonators, she was thrilled that she might finally have latched on to an actual news story. If this panned out Mari hoped, perhaps she wouldn't have her work buried on page six of section G or J or whatever, of the Sunday paper. She felt cheated when she saw something she'd worked hard on lost among the big sale adverts for Asda and M & S.

Two weeks ago, Professor Haliday sent Mari a confidential e-mail stating quite firmly that he had made an amazing discovery high in the Andes. Something, he hinted, that could change the world virtually overnight.

Now she was here, camera phone and tape recorder in hand, to see this 'amazing discovery' for herself.

"Please put this on, my dear." The elderly, but still spry and handsome professor said to her. "It wouldn't do to have you injure your brain before you can tell the world about my discovery."

The man practically sneered down at Mari as he handed her a cavers helmet with a light attached to the front. She choose to ignore his superior affectation, deciding right from their first meeting that the man was probably some sort of emotionally backwards control freak.

Professor Haliday also put on a helmet and then aggressively fastened his anorak, frowning up at the sky as if he blamed it for the freezing weather.

"I do hope you appreciate that I'm giving you an exclusive, Miss Gopal. I had planned on contacting _National Geographic. _But somehow it seemed more appropriate to give the story to a publication from my own country. The Americans do have this repetitive tendency to treat anything even remotely exciting into some kind of media fun fair. Complete with the fortune tellers and the two-headed pig. Don't you think?"

Without waiting for her answer, the professor led the way into the rear of a small cavern tucked into a fold of the mountain. Mari balefully eyed the climbing gear in his hand as they stood next to a long crack in the rock, merely a yawning black space. She looked down-a long way down, she surmised, when she dislodged a rock and didn't hear it hit bottom.

After twenty minutes of abseiling into the underground crevice, often only three meters wide, Mari was thankful that she was still extremely fit for a woman in her mid-thirties. They had descended to small ledge. Beside it was another opening in the cave wall. It wasn't as cold down here, though they both could see their breath. Little puffs of white fog drifted upwards in the glow of their lamps.

"You'll have to mind your head here." The professor said as they entered what appeared to be a round, narrow tunnel, almost perfectly hewn out of the solid rock. The two of them had to bend down and walk single file, in order to negotiate their way through.

'This is...simply...incredible." Mari stammered, stunned by the perfection she saw in the construction. She touched the walls. They were perfectly smooth, as if some machine had bored through the rock and then sandblasted the exterior. Her journalistic instincts kicked into overload. "Was this some sort of mine? How on earth could anyone manage to get a machine in here? Is there another entrance? When did they stop operations? What were they looking for anyway? Gold? Silver? Iron ore?"

"This isn't a recent construction, my dear. What would you say if I told you this place was made thousands of years ago, by an unknown tribe of people?"

"But...the technology to construct such a tunnel...I mean, it's so perfect, professor. How could anyone make this with just simple, primitive tools? "

That's when Mari realized something else. The light in the tunnel wasn't only coming from their headlamps. Somehow, there was a soft, diffused glow coming from the ceiling. She stopped and pointed upward. "What is that? Some kind of mineral residue or something?"

"I have no idea, Miss Gopal. I have taken sample from the ceiling, but nothing has turned up in the tests so far. But don't worry. I'll have it figured out soon, I'm certain of that."

"Is this your big discovery? A natural light source?" Mari suggested. "That sort of green technology would be a boon to the UK. Just think of how much our dependency on coal, oil and nuclear energy would be reduced. We'd save billions while reducing the ozone layer, virtually eliminating acid rain and cutting down on air pollution. That's amazing!"

"Oh, goodness me! Now why hadn't I thought of that, my dear?" the professor answered sarcastically. "That is one part of my find, yes."

"I take that to mean that you've made an additional discovery. What could be more important that this, though?" she asked, gesturing at the ceiling again.

"Follow me and I'll show you." The professor said, walking onward.

The tunnel ended abruptly at the entrance to yet another cavern. This one however, was enormous.

"What...what is this place?"

"All in good time, my dear." The professor said cryptically, "All in good time."

Despite the hush in their tone, their voices still seemed to echo off the vaulted ceiling of the chamber.

Mari looked around the room with her mouth agape. The space reminded her vaguely of some sort of religious temple. The entire chamber was a room hollowed out from the rock. Massive white Doric style columns supported the soaring buttresses of the roof. The floor was paved with giant blocks of pink and gold marbled stone. Again, the space was lit by the same diffused light from above, only this seemed to be more natural, almost like daylight streaming through a window. Mari frowned. That was impossible, of course. They were hundreds of feet underground.

"This way Miss Gopal, this way." He said to her, gesturing impatiently as if he were on a tight schedule. He bustled her forward, like a tour guide showing her some dusty Egyptian temple

The professor lead the way across the floor to a small alcove set into the far wall. Here, the light was much brighter. It seemed to be focused on some sort of alter. The two of them switched off their headlamps. Despite her initial astonishment, Mari shivered. She could almost feel her body tingling with a sudden, unreasoning fear. Seeing the object before her up close, this place felt foreboding, almost menacing, like staring like a cobra rearing its head, its tongue flicking out in warning.

Maybe it was the drawings carved into the walls of the alcove. The images depicted there seemed drawn by some ancient hand. These were simple figures in bas relief, they and the scenes surrounding them painted in red, brown, gold, green and blue. The paint was in nearly perfect condition, as bright and bold as the day as it was first applied.

Though simply drawn, the painted carvings would have been breathtakingly beautiful. Except for the images they depicted. Scores of human figures with arms outstretched, some bodies contorted as if in pain, mouths open in perpetually silent screams. Each figure was surrounded by a green aura. Hovering far above the victims rose an oversized golden sun.

"What is this, professor?" Mari asked in a hushed tone. "Some ancient place of sacrifice?"

"That's it precisely, Miss Gopal. But it is not so ancient. I believe it still is in use."

"Surely not!" Mari said, wheeling about and eyeing him skeptically. "We're miles from anyone up here. There's not a village within seventy-five kilometers."

"Ah, well. If you say so, my dear. If you say so. It's possible I'm getting a bit dotty at my age. Or, perhaps it's the altitude getting to me." The professor gave her one of his patronizing smiles. "You can touch the images, if you like. Here, let me hold that camera for you. I can take a photograph of you for your article. Now, go on. Touch it. Feel how new the images seem to be. As if carved just yesterday." He pointed at the oversized sun. That one there, for instance. Feel how smooth the paint is. The gold as bright as if it were newly minted. No sign of flaking or wear, whatsoever. Quite remarkable!"

As if she couldn't help it, Mari reached out and touched the golden sun. Surprisingly, it moved. There was an audible click, and abruptly she found herself melting away. Before she could scream though, Mari vanished.

The professor casually sauntered away, his derisive laughter echoing off the ceiling.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

For once, Clara was as angry as the proverbial wet hen. Probably because she was wet. Sopping wet, in fact. But not with water. She was covered head to toe with green slime. From across the console she gave the Doctor a maleficent glare.

For his part, the Doctor tactfully choose to ignore his companion. Busily tapping keys, pulling levers and twisting dials, he pretended to be absorbed in steering his trusty old space-time ship."

"I'm not going to ask why you even have a slime button on board this thing. I'm just going to stand here waiting for you to say you're sorry."

Clara waiting several minutes while the Doctor turned his attention to the monitor screen.

You're not going to apologize, are you?" Clara said at last.

"Look, I'm not the one who touched that big green button, am I?" The Doctor retorted shortly. "I told you when you first came on board to never touch the big green button, didn't I? I said, and I remember this quite well, I said, 'That big green button there, leave it alone'."

"In your imagination, maybe." Clara snorted. "Besides, you're the one who said for me, not five minutes ago, to press the green button. I'm sure you must remember that."

Suddenly tearing at his hair in exasperation, the Doctor spluttered "No, Clara. What I said was, the green button. The little one. Not the big one."

"Except, since you don't seem to have noticed. There is no little green button. There's only one green button. And it's really not all that big."

"What? Of course there's a little green button! I couldn't possibly pilot the TARDIS through an exploding star field without the quantum particle calculator."

Clara gazed intently at the console in front of her. "Nope. Nada. La. Non. Nein. Not a little green button in sight. Come see for yourself, Doctor."

Reluctantly, the Doctor moved over to Clara's side of the console. He quickly scanned the surface. Frowned at it for several seconds. Ducked his head underneath and scanned the underside. Straightened up again and pulled a magnifying glass out of the pocket of his purple coat, bent down and examined the console carefully.

"Er—you're right. It's not there. I forgot. It fell off when Donna accidentally bumped into the nineteen eighties. Human learners!. I really should put a sign on the TARDIS to warn the vortex."

"Well, why didn't you fix the...the...thingamawotsit?" Clara asked.

"Never put off today what you can do tomorrow, as Rassilon used to say. Or was that Mr. Blobby?"

"Sometimes your excuses don't make any sense at all, Doctor. You know that, right? You sound like more like a politician than a Time Lord."

"Oy! If you're going to insult me Clara, I can take you home right now, green slime and all. I've been a politician. Lord President of Galifrey. King of England. Mayor of Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. Grand Poombah of the Loyal Order of Venusian Masons. Bureaucrats!" He shuddered. "Bleurgh! I'd rather be tortured by a Sea Devil."

"Oh. No wonder you're so pompous sometimes. Don't worry. I won't hold it against you. If you don't mind," Clara shrugged, "I'm going to go change my clothes. Please tell me you have something on board that removes slime."

'Anti-slime wash?" The Doctor paused. "Let me think. Where did I put it? Oh yes! Cedar wardrobe in the changing room next to the tenth bath on the second level. Forth shelf. Yellow squeeze bottle. Take the stairs. Second door. Turn right, turn left. Take another left, then another left and go straight on. Can't miss it."

Oh, and while I'm gone, why don't you get busy and fix that button?"

"Nag, nag, nag. You'll make some poor bloke very miserable one day I suspect, Clara."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Er—I'm being rude again, arent' I?"

"Never mind, Doctor. I'm used to that by now."

A while later, Clara emerged from the TARDIS interior looking refreshed and ready for another adventure. She'd no sooner entered the room when she was nearly thrown off her feet when the TARDIS began to shake violently. Sparks and smoke issued from the console.

"What now?"Clara protested.

"TARDIS just went off auto pilot. It's not supposed to do that." The Doctor said worriedly.

"What's that mean?"

"It means, Clara, that the TARDIS has decided to suddenly deviate from her pre-programmed course settings. Got the bit in her teeth and is running off on her own." He shot her a delighted grin. "That's so cool!"

Bending down, he laid his cheek on the console and patted it. "That's my girl!"

Both the Doctor and Clara were thrown bodily to the floor as the ship abruptly slammed to a stop.

"Whew! You really need to install some padded flooring, Doctor." Clara said as she got up, checking for bruises.

"Only one way to find out." He said, running for the door.

"I knew you'd say that."

"Darreen Brown would be proud of you." The Doctor told Clara as he threw open the door.

Before them was an underground chamber. On the middle of the floor was a body. The Doctor went over and examined it. It was Professor Haliday.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Mari wasn't sure if she was still alive. She could see nothing, hear nothing. An all-enveloping darkness surrounded her. Was this death? Was this all there was at the end? She took a deep breath and forced her senses to the surface. Mari knew she was standing upright. That was a good sign. And she could hear something, after all. It was the sound of her own breathing. Not dead, then. That was also good news. But, where was she? What had just happened?

"Professor?" Mari thought her voice sounded muffled, as if she were now in a tightly enclosed space. "Professor, are you still there?"

Unfortunately for her, no one answered. All was silence. It was like being stuck inside your own grave, still alive. No! Mari mentally shook herself like a dog shedding water. She would not let her mind go there. It was this smothering blindness that was so unnerving. If it wasn't for the fact that she was standing on her own two feet, she'd have no other way of telling whether she was up or down. Then—rather sheepishly, Mari remembered her headlamp. She reached up and switched it back on.

"What the...? How the hell did I end up here?" It appeared that she was now in some sort of long, low, roughly chiseled-out tunnel, like a mine shaft. "Professor!" Mari shouted, "If this is your idea of some sort of joke..." There was still no answer. "Look, " Mari huffed, more than a little put out by this seeming prank, "if you want this so-called 'discovery' of yours to be taken seriously, this is not the best way to go about it. So have your little laugh at my expense and get me out of here. Or I'm going home. Today! And I want my camera back, if you don't mind."

When there was still no answer or any sign of the professor, Mari heaved a martyred sigh. The tunnel ran straight in both directions, as far as she could tell. There wasn't enough light from the lamp to gauge if there were any bends in the shaft. There were no signs and no way of telling which end was the way out or would lead deeper into the mine or whatever it was. Pulling a pound coin out of her jeans pocket she flipped it.

"Heads I go right. Tails I go left."

Using the coin as her only guide, Mari strode off to the right. The tentative light of her headlamp barely lit her way. Only able to see a couple of meters ahead, she unwittingly walked deeper into the mountain tunnel.

"He's not been here for long, by the looks of it." The Doctor said, kneeling beside the body.

"Well Doctor, at least we won't need an autopsy to see what killed him." Clara said, pointing at the arrow sticking out of Professor Haliday's back. "Mind you, it's not everyday I'm standing in an ancient underground temple looking at some bloke who's been arrowed to death. Another item I can tick off my 'new experiences' list."

Pulling out his sonic the Doctor ran it over the corpse with a faint buzz. Checking the readings, he nodded to himself. Standing up from the marble floor and making a sour face, he rubbed the small of his back.

"Backache? Really? Argh! Now I know I'm getting old. I was right though. Dead less than an hour, I'd say."

"So whoever did this might still be nearby, yeah? Don't suppose you have any arrow-proof vests on board the TARDIS?" Clara asked hopefully.

"Not as such, no. Sorry. But I do remember having a tomahawk-proof vest somewhere on board. It has some very lovely bead work. Bought it off an Onondaga war chief for two lacrosse sticks, a Sevateem canoe, a bushel of corn and a really comfy pair of boxer shorts."

"That's nice." Clara shrugged. "In other words, if the arrow guys show up again, we do what we always do."

At that moment, she jerked her head back as something whizzed by her face. With a thunk, the arrow harmlessly bounced off a nearby column. It came from a darkened corner, somewhere behind the TARDIS.

"We run!" The Doctor shouted, grabbing her hand with a delighted grin on his face and sprinting towards the alcove with the stone altar.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Doctor and Clara ducked behind the altar to avoid another arrow that was being sent their way. As the two of them hid, several shadowy figures darted out from the dark recesses of the temple. Short, lithe men were flitting from column to column, drawing ever closer. They were dressed in brown trousers and wore loose-fitting embroidered shirts in dark colours. Quivers were slung over their backs and long, pointed knives hung from a thick, braided cord belt at their waists. Colourful cloth headbands encircled their long, dark hair and short leather boots covered their bare feet.

"Shouldn't you try talking to them, Doctor?" Clara suggested.

"Possibly. Only, I'm not sure what we'd have to chat about,." The Doctor shrugged. "I mean, we're in an underground stone temple. So I think the weather and gardening are pretty much off the conversational menu. And I don't do politics or religion Well not usually, anyway. Not unless I _really_ want to irritate someone." He watched another arrow bounce off the stone wall behind them. "Of course, there's always sports. They do seem to be rather fond of archery. And after all, I have learned from the very best. Robin Hood. William Tell. Sitting Bull. His Most Victorious Varlak of the Citon Cluster. Maybe I can give them some pointers." He grinned and nudged her. "Get it, Clara? Arrows? Pointers?"

Raising an eyebrow, she said to him, "Call this a mad idea Doctor, but couldn't you simply tell them that we come in peace or...something like that? I dunno'. You probably have a lot more experience with these things than I do. Whatever usually works in this type of situation."

"Clara, I have an idea. I'll try talking to them."

"Yeah, Doctor." She agreed, rolling her eyes. "Sounds like a plan. Why don't you try that, then?"

Raising his arm above the altar and wiggling his fingers, the Doctor shouted "Hello?" He carefully peeked over the edge and said, "Excuse me. I think we have somewhat of a communication problem here. We mean you no harm or disrespect. I'm the Doctor, by the way. My companion is called Clara. And you lot are...?"

His last question was met by three incoming arrows. The Doctor quickly ducked back down. He gave Clara an embarrassed smile. She merely shrugged.

"That lot are rather angry with us I'd say, Doctor. But four marks for trying. Got any other ideas?"

Erm—" the Doctor hesitated, "Not as such, no." He suddenly gave Clara an indignant look. "Only four marks? Glad I didn't have you for a teacher when I was at the academy."

Giving the Doctor a cheeky grin, Clara replied, "Who do you think failed you on your TARDIS licensing exam?"

"We have them now, Manchert." Said one of the three warriors of the temple to an older man standing beside him.

The old man was slightly overweight and balding. He wore a gold pendant around his neck, signifying his leadership. He held up his hand. "Stop. All of you. Shoot at the strangers no more."

"What are we waiting for, Manchert?" Complained the third man, called Bluerock. He was barely out of his teens, newly initiated into the warrior class and impatient with his older counterparts. "They must be unarmed, if they are trying to negotiate with us. We can finish them off with one quick charge."

The older man looked towards the altar with an expression of awe mixed with wonder. Meanwhile, the young warrior loosed another arrow at the Doctor and Clara.

"I said hold, man!" Manchert scolded, staying Bluerock's arm. "We must not harm these strangers."

"They have dishonored the temple. They must die! That is the law of our people. We must not anger the Overlords by allowing them to defile these holy precincts." Bluerock persisted forcefully, eager for blood. "Why must we wait?"

"Because I think we may be in the presence of a god, Bluerock."

"Have you lost your senses?" The second warrior, a middle aged man known as Lifestone, said. "I mean no disrespect, Manchert. And you know I would never blaspheme in this, our holiest of places. Nevertheless, it's a known fact that not since the time of the First People, has any of our gods graced this temple. I've seen no sign of any godlike presence here today. Nothing whatsoever. How can you be so sure?

"What he says is true, Manchert." Bluestone agreed. "They are merely strangers who have trespassed upon holy ground. Do you not agree?"

"I agree there have been strangers here who are not gods, yes. But there is one who is."

"You say you see a god." Lifestone snorted, "Which god do you think we have in here?

"I believe we may be in the presence of The World Saver."

Lifestone gasped. "Him? None of our people have seen Him since the Dawn Times. How could you know that he is here now?"

"Because he gave his name. Did you not all hear it for yourselves?" Manchert said reverently, fingering the gold amulet that hung from his neck. "He said he was the Doctor. That is recorded in the Great Scroll as one of The World Saver's many names."

"You really think it may be The World Saver?" Lifestone asked in a hushed, suddenly hopeful, voice.

"I want to believe. Yes." The older warrior said positively.

Lifestone stared at Manchert's shiny gold amulet. It was long and square and had a design that looked surprisingly like a nineteen sixties British police box.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Both Clara and the Doctor cautiously poked their heads around the edge of the stone altar. Their attackers seemed to have once again withdrawn to a darkened corner of the temple.

"Looks like they're taking a pause." The Doctor whispered. " Did I ever tell you that I aced my O levels in off-world diplomacy and alien negotiation?"

"OK. You're just making things up again, aren't you?"

"Actually, Clara, I prefer to think of it as expressing my creative exaggeration. What's wrong with that?" The Doctor responded with a playful smile, waving his hands for emphasis. "I was merely using a bit of poetic license. Well, I suppose it's not really poetic. Or a license. Forget I said anything about poetry. Or licenses."

"No worries there, Doctor." Clara smirked.

"They seem to be having some sort of confab going on over there." He nodded towards the three warriors with their backs turned, huddling in conference in the dim shadows of the far wall."Perhaps I got through to them, after all."

"Or maybe, you made them laugh so hard they had to take a unscheduled loo break. What is this place, anyway? It's beautiful...in a Hammer horror sort of way." Clara asked, finally able to take in the details of the alcove with its ornate carvings and brightly painted pictures. "It's looks like some kind of sacrificial thing. Didn't people do that back then? Some priest telling everyone that their god will be happy if they commit a gruesome murder."

"It would seem that way, wouldn't it? Yet for some civilizations it was the equivalent of being awarded a BAFTA or an OBE. And the paparazzi weren't nearly so aggressive back then. Though, fair dues. It did take them ages to carve an image on the tabloid wall." He spread his fingers as if framing a picture with them. "_Exclusive! First carving of Zoltec in his bespoke death Mask!"_

"None of the victims carved on that wall behind us look very happy to me." Clara said skeptically.

"You know, I've actually met sacrifices who were quite thrilled to have their hearts ripped out and put on display." The Doctor said caustically, as he stood and stretched.. "Humans! It's like I told Andy Warhol that time at his birthday party. 'Andy,' I said, 'some people will do anything for their fifteen minutes of fame'. Not that your lot will ever change. Why do you think all those reality series have become so popular? Trust me. I know what I'm talking about Clara. I'll never forget that time I was a contestant on Big Brother and...wait a minute. Those carvings. What are they supposed to be, I wonder?"

Only having first real look at the carvings at that moment, the Doctor now bent down to examine the pictures on the bottom half of the wall more closely. Pulling a large magnifying glass from his pocket, the Doctor had his face bare centimeters from the wall, minutely studying the painted images of the victims.

"Let's see, Doctor. Supposing for one minute that I were to believe every word you say, I'd think they were paparazzi carvings."Clara replied sarcastically, arching an eyebrow at his backsides.

"Hold on. That's not right." The Doctor frowned, suddenly wary. "That's very not right. That's so not right it goes beyond even left."

Clara threw a puzzled glance at the Doctor. "Putting aside the fact that your last sentence made no sense whatsoever, I'll bite. What's wrong?"

"Those victims." The Doctor spoke in a hushed voice, almost dripping with dread, "That aura surrounding them. It looks like a...no, impossible! It can't be."

"It's like playing a perpetual game of Twenty Questions, traveling with you. What are you talking about?"

"Clara, I do hope that for once I am wrong—and I don't say that often, but it almost looks like they're being attacked by—"

"THE ONCOMING STORM!" Boomed a male voice from across the temple.

"We _give honor and praise to The Oncoming Storm, The World Saver, The Sainted Physician, The Lonely God. Blessed be the name of The Doctor_!" Chanted the voices of the three warriors in chorus, as they came across the room. Their sing-song words echoing off the carved, arched ceiling overhead. With heads bowed, the three men walked with arms outstretched in obeisance towards the Doctor.

"So, you're a god, now? Interesting career choice, Doctor. Bet it has a brilliant pension plan." Clara said, clearly amused by this sudden and unexpected turn of events.

"Erm—?" Was all the Doctor could reply, for once at a loss for words.

Deep in the underground tunnels, Mari had lost all sense of direction. She had no idea where she was, or even if there was a way out. In the back of her mind she knew that all this wandering was completely aimless. Especially if she didn't know where she was going. Still, there was a stubborn streak in Mari that refused to give in easily. She was doing her best to use her common sense. Making careful note as she went along of any unusual rock formations or markings. For instance, she'd noticed a streak of white quartz in the side of a tunnel wall. And there had been a roughly chiseled piece of rock which resembled a man with a pointy nose.

However, it was when Mari realized that she'd passed the same pointed nose rock three times in the past two hours, that she began to give in to fear and doubt again. There were so many tunnels down there, all bisecting each other. It seemed to be endless! Some sloped downward, while others remained level. Still others would seem to be traveling upward, only to end in a solid wall of rock. There was no evidence of human activity here. Yet she was certain these tunnels had not been formed by the forces of nature. Someone had built them. But what for?

There was something else beginning to make her skin grow clammy. She tried to come to grips with her mounting anxiety. Bitterly, Mari fought against it. But it kept rising up, heedless of her will. The light in her lamp was beginning to fade. It had dimmed considerably in the past fifteen minutes, and was continuing to do so. She'd seen no signs of any other light source. No lights were strung from the walls or ceiling, as she supposed a modern mine might have. Not one scrap of either recent or archeological evidence of fire pits or flaming torches was present here.

Then her worst nightmare happened. Her headlamp flickered a few times and then went dark. Mari let out a gasp of alarm. She felt her heart palpitating as the tunnel enclosed her in its panoptic blackness.

Her guts felt as if they had turned into a block of ice. Hugging herself, Mari took a deep breath and sat down. She needed to think. Obviously, she couldn't go on. There were a few pits down here. Who knew how deep they were? She'd been able to carefully skirt around them, thus far. But without light, there was little hope that she could continue to do so.

Mari couldn't help it, she tried to stop but couldn't. Sitting on the floor, she buried her head in her knees and began to cry.

Just then, she heard a noise. It sounded almost mechanical. Like a...what? No, wait. It wasn't there now. Shaking her head, Mari tried to tell herself she was imagining things. She wondered idly if there were any poisonous gas leaks down here. Could she be having hallucinations? Or was she simply going mad, alone and in the dark? Wiping her sleeve across her eyes, Mari paused her thoughts. Straining to listen for something, anything.

With renewed hope, Mari's heart suddenly bounded with joy. Because there it was again. That gentle humming sound. Perhaps it was some sort of underground conveyance, she pondered. Like a battery operated truck. She stood up, thrilled to her core. She was going to get out of this! Whomever her rescuer was, he or she was going to get the biggest hug of their life.

The mechanical sound was close now, Mari felt. It continued a few more seconds then stopped abruptly. Again the tunnel was cloaked in silence.

"H—hello?" Mari stammered. "Is somebody there?"

There was no answer. There was only the dark and damp and cold, unforgiving stone, echoing back her own words to her.

"Please. Is someone there? Do you speak English? Erm—habla Anglo? Please, I'm lost. My lamp went out. I need help."

The humming noise picked up again. It drew nearer. That's when she noticed the light, glowing softly in the dark. One single, blue, glowing dot in the empty blindness.

"What's the matter with you? Why won't you say something?" Mari pleaded, suddenly confused by this person's silence.

Swiveling first one way, then the next, the light once again swung to face her. Then, there was a voice. A harsh, unforgiving, grating voice. It echoed off the rock like a savage scream:

"_YOU ARE NOW A PRISONER OF THE DALEKS. SURRENDER OR BE EX-TER-MIN-ATED_!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kneeling before the altar, the three men looked up in awe at the Doctor. He was standing on the raised dais before the altar, looking at them with a somewhat disconcerted expression.

The elder warrior looked up and spoke with a tone of utter reverence.

"I am Manchert, headman of the Warriors of the Temple. We are honored by your presence, oh Lord of Time. Long have our people awaited your arrival. We pray you shall help us. You are our only hope."

"Erm—Manchert, is it? Are you certain you want me? Not someone named Obi Wan Kenobi?" The Doctor asked dryly, raising his eyebrows.

"I am afraid that I do not know that person." Manchert gave the Doctor an oily smile, spreading his arms in a welcoming gesture, "But it is you, Doctor—not this Obi Wan, whom the Great Scroll predicts will be our saviour."

"Oh, OK. Better not tell that to George Lucas, though. I don't think his ego could handle it." .

"The elders have spoken of your coming for more time than any here can calculate. For truth, some of our our people had begun to speak of you only as myth. A tale told to explain the unexplainable. A man conjured out of thin air to encourage good behavior, or as an excuse for condemnation. Yet, here you are with us!" Manchert exulted, as he and his two men stood up. "The Oncoming Storm himself!"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, his face suddenly a mask of suspicion and distrust. Unlike the joyous manner of the warriors, his tone suddenly became quite somber.

"You keep calling me that. Not many people do. I wonder why? Let me guess. Not that I really need to. I am very clever. As you probably already know. Someone has kept you very well informed. And I don't think it was my companion, here."

He eyed Clara. She raised an eyebrow at him in return.

"What?"

"You've not grassed me up to them, have you Clara?"

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. "Oy! Don't be daft, Doctor."

"No? Of course you haven't. You're my companion! Anyway, how could you? We've only just arrived. And that leaves me to ponder on something very peculiar, Manchert. "

Abruptly, the Doctor spun on his heels, pointing with both fingers at the painting of the green aura-enshrouded victims.

"You want me to save you from this? Am I right? Yes! Of course I am! As you say, I am the Oncoming blinking Storm."

The Doctor just as swiftly turned back to the three men. "But then, if that painting is depicting what I think it is, I wouldn't need to save you. You and your people would already be dead. For thousands of years, judging by the age of those images." He frowned deeply. "Question is, why aren't you lot taking the long dirt nap right now?"

"I—I beg your forgiveness, my—my lord. I understand not your words." Manchert stammered, looking confused.

The Doctor shook his head sadly. "Oh, but I believe you do! I think that it has slowly begun to dawn on you, Manchert. Hasn't it? You are suddenly aware of something. A nagging suspicion that you aren't quite what you thought you were. Not entirely, anyway. Right now, one tiny little worm of an idea is burrowing its way into your self-conscious. And, as I said," he swung his lanky body up to perch on the edge of the stone altar, "there is one last, very important thing I need to quiz you on."

Speaking like a television presenter, the Doctor asked, "And here's the final question, Manchert! For the car, the cash and the trip to Disneyland." He bent down and stared intently into the man's face, _Just who are you_, _really_?"

"I...I...don't...I don't know." Manchert said, as he looked down at himself with a baffled expression, "I am...I ...I...am..."

Manchert's whole body went rigid. Without warning, a Dalek eyestalk grew out of his forehead. The bodies of the two other warriors followed suit.

The of other two men echoed Manchert's words then, all three voices suddenly changing to a more mechanical, grating chant, "...we are...we are...we are..." before shouting one last, final word, "_DALEK!_"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Wh-what are you?" Mari asked the Dalek, her journalistic instincts from kicking in. "Wait. I remember now. I think. You're one of those things that fought at Canary wharf...what? About eight years ago? Then you came again. That time all those planets suddenly appeared in the sky. But you disappeared after that. What on earth are you doing down here? What do you want with me?"

"_CEASE TALKING!_"

"I only wanted to..."

"_THE PRISONER WILL BE SILENT_!"

Gesturing with its gun arm, the Dalek told Mari, "_MOVE!_! _MOVE_!"

"I—I can't." Mari stammered, thoroughly frightened. "S-orry, but it's my headlamp. It's broken. I can't see to walk."

"_WAIT HERE. DO NOT MOVE_!"

The Dalek stood silently regarding her, the light of its eyestalk looking like a beacon of death. Mari was half-certain that it was contemplating killing her. In reality, it was communicating with its leader.

A few minutes passed and another Dalek appeared around the corner of the tunnel. Different than its mate, the half-globes on this Dalek's body shone with a bright blue florescent glow, similar to an LED light.

"THE PRISONER WILL FOLLOW. FOL-LOW!" The first Dalek ordered, bidding Mari to follow the second.

After a quarter hour of being force-marched through tunnels, Mari felt like livestock being herded into an abattoir. And that let an unwelcome thought into her mind. Her knees felt weak and a pain grew in her chest, like an pick gouging out a block of ice. Mari wondered if this was to be her last walk she would ever take in her life.

The Doctor and Clara ducked as one of the warriors shot at them. Only instead of an arrow, this time the alcove was lit with a flash of green. Clara cringed as the Dalek ray gun spouting from Manchert's arm blasted chunks of painted plaster from the wall behind them.

"Got any bright ideas?" The Doctor asked.

"Me?" Clara gaped at him. "Why me? I thought you were the Dalek expert."

"Oswin _was_ a Dalek. Reckon that makes Oswin—you, an expert."

"Hello! Earth to Doctor! I'm Clara, not Oswin." She frowned at him, "Seriously? You're comparing me to a Dalek? Where'd you get a stupid idea like that?

"From the Idea Store, of course. They come flat packed. Takes forever to put them together. All the instructions are in Danish."

"OK, Doctor. When you're through being cheeky, you might want to come up with a real thought on how we're gonna' get out of this."

"Erm—?" Was all the Doctor would say, his brows furrowed together as his brain began ticking off their choices. He came up with nil.

Another ray shot towards the alcove, nicking off a corner of the altar. The pair cringed as they were sprayed with a shower of marble dust.

"SURRENDER, DOCTOR. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE US." Spoke Manchert in his new deeper, grating voice.

As they crouched near the floor with their backs to the altar, Clara shook her head.

"I don't understand, Doctor. They must have twigged by now that we're unarmed. Why don't they just come and get us?"

But the Doctor didn't appear to be listening. He was staring at a particular spot on the painted wall behind them.

"What?" The Doctor turned to look at her.

"I said, why aren't they coming for us? Why just stand there issuing threats? What are they afraid of?"

"Why indeed, Clara." The Doctor pondered.

At that very moment, his face brightened. "You're right! They are afraid of something. The one thing they might be loathe to damage. Oh, I do take back everything I said about you being a Dalek. You're much, much, more cleverer than that!"

Without warning, the Doctor hauled her to her feet as he glimpsed something on the wall directly above them.

"What would I do without you?" He said, as he threw one arm around Clara and embraced her.

"Uh—Doctor. Now is really not the time for a happy hug."

"A happy hug, no." The Doctor told her, grinning from ear to ear. "But a _transmat _hug, oh yes!"

On that last word, the Doctor's fingers jabbed a particular spot in the painted wall. With an audible click, the two of them began to dissolve.

Even as he vanished, the Doctor's last word rang off the stone arches of the temple roof, "_Geronimo_!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As she'd been force-marched along the tunnels for the past quarter hour, if felt to Mari like she was some two-legged livestock being led to an abattoir. She shuddered involuntarily at the images that thought had awakened inside her mind.

The Dalek with the light stopped so abruptly that Mari nearly walked into it. She had to take a quick step back as it swiveled about to face its mate.

"_HALT! INCOMING INFORMATION_! _MY SENSORS DETECT TRANSMAT ACTIVITY IN THIS SEC-TOR!_

"_CONFIRMED_" The first Dalek Said. "_THE TEMPLE TRANSMAT HAS BEEN ACTIVATED."_

Abruptly, the two Daleks began to quiver with either excitement or fear. Mari wasn't sure which it was, but anything that slowed her progress to her doom was a welcome respite.

"_UNAUTHORIZED_ _INTRUDERS DETECTED!_" Spoke the first Dalek shortly, as if offended by the very notion.

The second Dalek began waving its gun arm about. It virtually screamed, "_ALERT! ALERT! IT IS THE DOC-TOR_!"

Right at that moment, the two time travelers materialized practically right under the eyestalks of the two Daleks. On seeing them there, Clara gasped and paled slightly. The Doctor merely raised his eyebrows and flashed them a wry grin. Almost as if he'd known they'd be there, all along.

"Whoops." The Doctor whispered to Clara. "I think we've overshot our gate."

If Daleks had mouths on the outside of their casings, these two would have had theirs hanging on the floor. The two Daleks stood frozen to the spot, their gun arms trembling. They seemed to almost be dithering. The pair were unsure whether to make the Doctor a prisoner or to shoot him outright. So they deferred to their commander, whom was in another part of the cavern.

"You know Clara, I have to say it's such a comfort to see a familiar enemy in a strange place. Correction." he amended, eyeing the Dalek's uniform outer casings, "Not so much a comfort, as a tedious bore. Sticking to the Club Med tans are we, boys? I really think I liked it better when you resembled a packet of Skittles. You won't get to fashion week with that look."

"_DOC-TOR_!" The first Dalek practically spluttered out the name.

Yep." He virtually bragged, "That's me. The ol' Oncoming Storm himself. I'm afraid I don't have time for autographs, though. You know how these holiday packages are. Everything on a timed schedule. Tell me, is this the right queue for the night train to Paris? No? Right then, ta. Clara...?"

"Yeah. I think I know this bit, Doctor. You're going to tell me to run." She told him dryly.

Without further ado, she spun about and quickly bolted around the nearest corner

"How do you know I wasn't going to say, '_look out behind you_'?" He called after her, as he whisked off his purple coat and threw it over the first Dalek's eye stalk.

It whirled about, screaming its distress,_ "CAN'T SEE! CAN'T SEEEEEE—!_"

The Doctor paused for a split second before following her, his fascinated and delighted gaze riveted on the second Dalek.

Practically shivering with delight he said, "Oooh! Glow-in-the-dark Daleks. That's new!"

Then his sonic screwdriver was whirring, which sent the lights on the second Dalek exploding. It screamed in protest like a spoiled brat being denied a sweet. Mari suddenly felt her arm being jerked as the Doctor grabbed hold of her and took her with him.

"Wait!" She cried out to him as she struggled to keep up. "Stop!"

"Sorry. Not an option, I'm afraid. We'll have to run. This way!" The Doctor replied with what she thought was an entirely out-of-place cheekiness.

Cringing, Mari decided that her fate was now in the hands of a certified nutjob. Albeit, at least this one didn't have a gun pointed at her. Given the two choices, she decided to err on the side of escaping rather than dying.

"But...how can you see where we're going?" Mari asked, virtually shuddering at the thought of those occasional holes in the floor, lurking in the profound darkness of the tunnels.

"Because my eyes are just a bit better than the average human." He panted as he ran, "And I have this, of course." He said, holding out a small pen torch that he'd slipped out of his pocket.

"Better than what? Pardon me for saying so at a time like this, but I think your kid's meal may be lacking its little bag of chips."

"It's also missing the free toy, but never mind." Clara interjected as she dropped back to run alongside the Doctor.

"Oy! I do so have all my toys. Though maybe a few of the chips..." The Doctor said to himself as he sprinted onward.

"Listen. Just do as he says and we may actually live through this."

"I don't seem to have much choice, do I?" Mari conceded.

"There's always a choice. It's making the right one that's hard. Or maybe just dumb luck. I'm Clara, by the way." She said as she dropped back to run beside the Doctor.

Not far behind them, they could hear the screeching echoes of the two Daleks rebounding off the musty tunnel walls.

"_PUR-SUE! PUR-SUE! FIND THE DOC-TOR! FIND HIIIIMMM!_"

"Who are you, anyway? Are you another archeologist?" Mari quizzed him as they continued to run.

"I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" Was Mari's puzzled response.

"Just...the Doctor."

"That's an odd choice for a name."

"My parents wanted me to be a veterinarian. I wanted to be a male stripper. Still, I suppose calling myself 'the Stripper' might have been a bit awkward in er—certain situations. Though I would have had a very cool theme song to play in the shower."

Shoving the torch in his mouth and grabbing Clara by the hand, the Doctor abruptly skidded to a halt.

"_Whoaf_!" He yelped at the two women as he quickly backpedaled, physically jerking them all backwards.

Removing the torch from his mouth and shining it downward he said, "Mind the gap! And trust me. That's one _helluva'_ gap!" The Doctor said, staring downward.

There, just centimeters in front of them, was an enormous hole in the tunnel. It appeared to be some ancient cave-in that had swallowed up an entire five meter section of the floor.

"_REPORT_! _REPORT_!"

The voice of the commander screamed through a hidden speaker in the wall. The Doctor and two women couldn't help but hear it. The echo of its demand came barreling down the tunnel like a political fanatic screaming into a megaphone. Since their pursuers were drawing ever closer, they all could hear the reply, as well.

"_THERE IS A TUNNEL COLLAPSE AHEAD. THE DOC-TOR AND THE OTHER PRISONERS CANNOT ESCAPE US. WHAT ARE YOUR OR-DERS_?" Responded the first Dalek.

"_CAPTURE THE DOC-TOR. HE MUST NOT ESCAPE!_"

"_AND THE OTHER PRISONERS?_" The first Dalek queried.

"_THEY ARE OF NO USE TO US. EXTERMINATE THEM!_" Ordered the commander.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"We're not going to get out of this, are we?" Mari shot an accusing stare at the Doctor. "It's all your fault! If you hadn't come charging in there like some mad kind of superhero, I might have had a chance. Now..." She stared helplessly at the yawning black hole.

"What's your name?" The Doctor finally got around to asking.

"Mari."

For a moment the Doctor looked guilty. Then his eyes glinted with a hardness born of all the death and suffering he'd witnessed the Daleks inflict on the innocent throughout each of his lives.

"Well here's a little news bulletin for you, Mari." Throwing his head back he proclaimed, "'_Extra! Extra! Read all about it! No one survives Daleks_." He glared at her coldly and continued in a flinty voice. "No one. You may live for a time, true. But sooner or later, you die. That's what they do, you see. They kill. That's all they do. If you're not Dalek—and I mean pureDalek, you are not fit to live. That's all they think about. Day and night, twenty-four-seven, year after deadly year. That's the depraved logic they are born with. Their whole reason for being. And you know what I think? Maybe they're not so wrong. Maybe there's some things that are worse than dying."

"Like what? What could be possibly worse than dying?" Mari retorted, taken aback slightly by his icy tirade.

Pausing for a second, the Doctor's breath heaved. Then his raised tired, sad, old eyes to her. He said, simply, "Living."

"That's a bit dark. Even for you. Don't you think, Doctor?" A suddenly worried Clara asked him softly.

"Maybe all of us have a bit of darkness lurking in some cobwebby corner of our minds." He nodded, turning his head away.

Then he turned back to them, and with his usual aplomb said, "Or maybe, we just watch too much violence on television. What do you say we blow this joint and do something else? Oooh! I've an idea! Let's go thumb our noses at the Daleks some more."

With that, the Doctor backed up as far as he could. Then, he made a mad dash for the hole.

"No! Wait!" Clara called out after him, but she was too late.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Instead of trying to jump the five meters across the gap, the Doctor instead jumped to a thin strip of rock floor that lay between the left side of the hole and the tunnel wall. Grimacing with effort, he used his fingers to grip the rough stone to gain a better purchase.

Very carefully, he inched his way forward. The floor was so narrow here that he had to virtually stand on his toes. Fortunately, as he crept along, the ledge quickly widened to a couple of meters which allowed him to stand normally again. Holding his body tight with the wall, he transferred the pen torch from his mouth his left hand. Shining the light on the ledge, the Doctor held out his right hand to Clara.

"Right, Clara. Easy-peasy. Come on, now. You're next." He said, huffing slightly from his exertions.

"Uh—you want me to do what?" She asked, skeptically eyeing the hole. "Did I forget to mention that I _wasn't _a mountain climber, Doctor?"

"It'll be fine, you'll see. I would never ask if I didn't think you had it in you." The Doctor encouraged her. "Just trust me, Clara. You can do this, I know you can."

"OK. Enough with the coaching. This isn't PE, Doctor."

At that moment, the sound of the pursuing Dalek drew ever nearer.

"_PRISONERS WILL REMAIN WHERE THEY ARE!" _Shouted the first Dalek,_ "THERE IS NO ESCAPE_!"

If nothing else, that served as the perfect incentive for doing something completely mad, Clara thought to herself. Her stomach felt like she'd just swallowed an iceberg, whole. Still, she did trust the Doctor. Trying to refrain from closing her eyes in fear, she took a running jump for the ledge. She nearly fell, but the Doctor's hand steadied her. He quickly led her to the other side of the hole.

"Well, there is a plus side to this. Now I can add 'impersonating a mountain goat' to my CV." Clara joked, to hide her quaking nerves.

Without replying, the Doctor moved back into position and once again held out his hand.

"Now you, Mari. Quickly, there's not much time!"

"Not on your life, Doctor...whoever you are. No. I'll take my chances with the Daleks." Mari said, nearly hysterical with fear. "They didn't kill me before. So I reckon that if I surrender peacefully, I'll be alright."

"What?" The Doctor said incredulously. "Arrgh—! Typical journalist! Why do you people never listen? Just because they didn't kill you before, doesn't mean they won't do it now. You escaped. You ignored their orders. To a Dalek, that is completely unacceptable. They _will_ kill you, Mari. Now, come on! We don't have time for this."

"I—I can't." Mari shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"Mari. Look at me." The Doctor said softly, staring intently at her, willing Mari to look back at him. After a second's hesitation, she did. "Look at me. "Why did you come here? For a story? Or to prove something to yourself? You could have just sat in your office back in London, taking tea breaks. Gossiping around the water cooler. Writing book reviews. Making up stuff about celebrities. But no. You came all this way. Halfway across the world and down into this cavern. What for? So you could just give up and die? Or so you could live to write a great story? But no one will read that story, ever, if you don't come with me, right now."

"You're right, Doctor."She admitted with a tight smile, "I've got to do this. This is the story I've always..."

Mari never finished her sentence. As she spoke, the Dalek had swiftly rounded the corner of the tunnel. It fired instantly, without warning. Mari's mouth opened in a silent scream, as her body arched back encased in the green glow of a Dalek death ray. Then she fell down, far, far down, into the darkness of the hole.

For the instant before he and Clara fled, the Doctor glared at it with the anger borne through seeing the deaths of billions in the wake of all the Dalek wars. It was the countenance of a vengeful god, a look that made his worst enemies quake with sudden terror. And this one was no different, it seemed.

The Dalek backed up slightly then stopped dead, seemingly frozen with fear.

"You just can't do it, can you? Not ever." The Doctor spoke with all the bitterness in his hearts, "You just can't let someone who is not Dalek, live. And that will be your downfall, one day. I promise you that."

"_HALT! YOU CANNOT ESCAPE US, DOC-TOR!_" It shouted, when it finally found its voice again.

"Try and stop me." The Doctor openly taunted it as he sped away, quickly rounding another turn in the tunnel ahead.

Without warning, the uncertain light of the Doctor's torch caused Clara to stumble on a bit of loose rock. As the Doctor went to help her to her feet, the Dalek began to elevate itself a few inches off the floor. It began to navigate towards the hole, obviously intending to glide over it. Peering around the corner, the Doctor took in the situation.

"OK, so it took me at my word." He muttered to himself with an accepting shrug. "It is coming to get me."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Quickly readjusting some settings on his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor raised it towards the roof over the hole. Just as the Dalek hovered over the center of deep pit, he pressed down hard on the sonic. The tip of the device glowed green and it gave off a piercing shriek. It caused both he and Clara to wince. She quickly stuck her fingers in her ears.

But the result was worth the risk of a bit of hearing loss, the Doctor reckoned. Releasing the device, he calmly watched the roof over the hole suddenly crumple down upon to the Dalek.

"Don't take this question wrong, Doctor." Clara shouted at him over the din of falling rock. "But are you completely, raving, bonkers?"

"Meh. Perhaps just a little." The Doctor conceded. "But there be a method to my madness, Clara. Whatever technician built the engine that allows the Daleks to hover, obviously had never met Issac Newton. Otherwise, he might have taken into account the effects of gravity on rock after its been hit by a concentrated sonic wave set at the level of of five-point-seven-one gigahertz."

The two of them watched as the roof over the Dalek instantly collapsed with a rolling thunder of sound. As the floor rumbled and the walls shook, tonnes of solid rock cascaded down on to the dome of the creature, causing it to plummet into the unknown depths below.

"HELP MEEEE—! EMERGENCY! EMERGEN—CEEEEEEEE!"

The creature inside its metal casing screamed all the way down, it's voice trailing away, cut off only when it hit bottom. The Dalek was instantly buried under meters of rubble.

Unfortunately for the Doctor and Clara, the rest of the tunnel also became unstable. Coughing from the roiling dust cloud that billowed toward them, the Doctor swiftly resumed getting Clara to her feet. They legged it out of there with only seconds to spare before that entire section of tunnel collapsed.

Hobbling alongside the Doctor, Clara coughed, waving away the dust. "That's one way to kill a Dalek, I suppose."

"Maybe." The Doctor said shortly.

"You don't think it lived through that, did you?"

Instead of answering, he paused.

"Sit down Clara," he said, indicating her ankle, "let me have a look at that."

"Probably just twisted it a little. I'll be fine." She protested. "And I have to tell you something, Doctor. Dodging my questions makes me more nervous than if you just gave me a straight answer."

As he ran the sonic over her ankle, the Doctor shot her a resigned look.

"OK, OK. I suppose I do owe you at least that. Here's how it is, then. I think it probably is dead. Yet with a Dalek..." heaving a sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair, "...there's no telling. They're the cockroaches of the universe, Clara. You kill one, and next thing you know you've got ten of them scurrying around your sugar bowl. Just when I think I've finally gotten rid of them, they come back. They always come back"

Turning off the sonic, the Doctor pulled off his bow tie. "It's not broken or sprained. You just twisted it, I suppose."

"Do tell?" Clara said archly. "Gee, I never would have guessed. Glad you're here then, Doctor."

The Doctor wrapped the tie around her ankle, only to find it was too short. He frowned at the scrap of TARDIS blue fabric which now lay in his open palm. "I could have sworn it was longer than that."

"You could always rip up your shirt, I suppose?" She suggested. "That's what the hero a romance novel always does. You know, when his lady love trips and falls while running away from the bad guys."

"But you see, I—ah, I am rather fond of this shirt, Clara."

With a twinkle in her eye, Clara seemed almost to be enjoying the Doctor's sudden discomfort.

"Never mind, Doctor. You can always use my bra. That's sort of like a bandage, if you think about it."

"Your ah—bra? Right. Well. Erm—I'm not sure that would be entirely necessary, er—Clara." He said, giving a big, dry swallow.

She laughed, deciding to let him off the hook, "Relax, Doctor. I was only taking the mickey. Trust me. You are no '_Mr. Darcy'_. You're more like my...my...very cool big brother."

"Really?" He smiled warmly at her. "Thanks, Clara."

Turning his attention from her ankle, the Doctor suddenly gave her a surprised look. "You read romance novels?"

Just at that moment, they heard a distant echo from an adjoining shaft to theirs, "LOCATE THE DOC-TOR. FIND HIM!"

"Think you can stand alright, Clara?" He asked, helping her to her feet once more.

"I can run if I have to, Doctor." She confirmed, nodding towards the shaft where there obviously were Daleks. "And it may come to that, if we don't get out of here."

"There seems to be only one way to go, for the moment." The Doctor said, pointing at the tunnel ahead with his pen torch. "Maybe it will show us the way out. Or better yet, lead us to a clue as to why the Daleks are hiding down here, instead of destroying the entire planet. Care to take the tour with me, Clara?"

Drawing ever closer, came the screaming threats of the Dalek commander, "PUR-SUE! PUR-SUE!"

The two of them turned a corner, only to be confronted by a wall of solid rock.

"You know, Doctor?" Clara told him as they stared at the wall, "That's the last time I pick up a TARDIS holiday brochure. These self-guided Dalek tours are rubbish."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"This wall reminds me of something." Clara told the Doctor, "Oh yeah. It was this big red road sign I saw in America, once." To emphasize what she meant, she held out her palm with every word, each one lower than the other, "Dead. Stop. End."

"OK. You win. As walls go, I would give this one nil out of ten." The Doctor shrugged.

"Here, hang on to this for a moment, will you? And whatever you do, don't drop it." He instructed, as handed her the pen torch. "Trust me." The Doctor smiled down at her reassuringly, "The situation really is not that bad, Clara."

"_HALT! HALT_!_ STAY WHERE YOU ARE!_" Ordered the Dalek as it rounded the corner on them.

"I've gotta' admit, Doctor. When you're right, you're right." Clara snorted. "It isn't that bad. It's a whole shed load worse."

"Faith, Clara. Faith. All that I have seen has taught me to always look for the things that cannot be seen."

Without another word, the Doctor flicked on the sonic screwdriver again. This time, he pointed it at the dirt under their feet. Abruptly, Clara felt the floor beneath her give way. She gave a startled yell as she dropped.

Only to fall safely into the Doctor's arms just a few meters below. That's when she realized. They'd fallen through the trap door of a small mine lift. Dirt that had covered the door trickled down into the shaft below. Clara felt some of it settle in her hair, but she didn't care. They were safe for the moment.

Or were they? She looked up as her eye caught a shadow from above.

Meanwhile, the Dalek came to an abrupt halt. It swiveled it's domed head back and forth, as if momentarily nonplussed by their sudden disappearance.

"_SURRENDER DOCTOR! OR YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!_" Demanded the enraged Dalek.

There came the sharp thrumming of the gun and flash of green, as a warning shot bounced off the metal roof. It sent a gush of fiery sparks through the hatchway and down into the lift's interior. Wincing, Clara flinched away from them.

The hum of the Dalek's propulsion motor sounded louder inside the lift. It rolled itself to the edge of the open door. It stood there for what seemed to be an eternity, looking down upon them, a silent messenger of death.

The top half of its dark silhouette was juxtaposed against the deeper darkness of the unlit tunnel. The glowing blue eye stalk dropped down to observe them.

In a blur of motion, the Doctor made a sudden leap towards the roof.

Virtually quivering with outrage, the Dalek barked out, "_DO NOT MOVE_!_ DO NOT MO—"_

The Doctor slammed the heavy metal hatch shut, effectively muffling the Dalek's threats.

"My god, I do love a trap door!" he chortled, as he palmed his screwdriver, aiming it at a button near the lift gate. "Ground floor: perfumery, stationary and leather goods. Wigs, haberdashery, underwear and shoes. Going down!"

And down they did go. Rapidly descending the narrow shaft, they dropped far, far below. The lift falling a rate of speed Clara didn't want to know about. She did know that if they didn't stop soon, she was going to see that morning's breakfast again.

The Doctor seemed to be having the time of his life. Bracing his legs, he crossed his arms and casually leaned against the wall. A gleeful smile was plastered across his face.

"_Yeeee-haaaa!_ He shouted for the sheer joy of it. "You know Clara, some people actually pay to go on rides like this at fun fairs?"

Clara was too preoccupied with retaining the contents of her stomach to reply. Oblivious to her condition, he laughed like a schoolboy on holiday.

Just seconds before she was sure they would crash, the Doctor once again pressed used his trusty screwdriver to bring them a bone-shaking, juddering, halt. Clara had to grab on to the sides of lift to keep from falling.

"I'd slap you, Doctor." Clara gasped, holding her stomach, "But I think I left my body back up there in the tunnel."

The Doctor gave her a startled, hurt look. "What'd I do?" Memory made him unconsciously rub the side of his face. "What _is _it with the companion slap these days?" He grumbled.

"OK, OK! I'm sorry, Doctor" Clara sighed, not wanting to hurt his feelings. Nudging him forward she said, "Come on, now. Quit whinging and find us a way out of here. I don't like the idea of that Dalek hot-footing it down the lift shaft after us."

"Yeah," he agreed, raising the lift gate and stepping outside, "neither do I."

In the tentative light of the pen torch they followed the tunnel the lift had opened on, until it ended in a T-junction.

"You're the designated tour guide. Which way?" Clara asked, looking back and forth at two identical passages.

"This one looks good."

The Doctor randomly choose the tunnel on the left, letting his instincts guide him.

"They both look the same, Doctor. Why that way?"

"Let's just say that I've always leaned a little to the left. Let's crack on, shall we? We don't want that pesky Dalek getting up our nose again. I do hate party crashers. Well, except when it's me doing the crashing."

After nearly a half hour of walking, Clara began to notice the torch was getting dimmer. Twice since entering this passageway, they'd encountered more cave-in's in the floor. Thankfully, none of them were as wide as the first one. Still, the idea of trying to negotiate the tunnels without a light was daunting, to say the least.

The torch flickered weakly. She hit it against her palm a few times in an attempt to get it working properly again.

"That's not going to help." The Doctor remarked.

"There's no harm trying." Clara said defensively. " Anyway, I've seen you bang on the TARDIS enough times."

"But that's not a living, organic machine like the TARDIS, Clara. That's a battery operated torch from Henrik's department store. Knocking it about won't get it working again. It's like when you keep pushing the call button for a lift. You need only press it once. But somehow, you think if you keep jabbing away, the car will come that much faster."

"Wait a sec, Doctor." Clara stopped suddenly. Squinting, she pointed forward. "Is it me, or is it getting lighter up ahead?"

As they walked forward, the tunnel gradually widened. They turned a bend only to find themselves bathed in the glow light. They were standing on what appeared to be some sort observation platform. There was a sliding metal shutter there. Without pause, the Doctor strode over and slid it open. Clara gasped.

"I believe we've found what the Daleks were hiding, Clara." The Doctor spoke softly.

Below them was a vast cavern. In various locations the room was kitted out with all sorts of technical equipment and gadgetry. But what really had taken Clara's breath away, was something else entirely.

The entire cavern was filled with hundreds of Daleks. Row upon row of them.

They seemed to be dormant, waiting to be woken up. Besides these, the walls were lined with cubicles containing the human-Dalek warriors. There was no movement below. It's as if the Dalek army were all waiting for someone to come and press their '_on_' switch.

"Is this some sort of staging area?" Clara asked, her eyes wide with worry. "Do you think they're planning on an invasion or something? But, why do it here?"

"Take a good look, Clara." He said somberly, "Because we're about to go down there and find out."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The Doctor stood with his hands pressed against the observation window. Leaning so close that his breath fogged the Perspex. His eyes took in the details of the cavern below. Every work station, every gap between the many rows of Daleks, committing it all to memory. Trying to identify anything that looked even vaguely familiar.

There didn't seem to be an access point from where they were, until Clara spied a small door. The dull black metal made it blend in with the surrounding rock. It was an odd size, she thought. Fairly wide, but shorter than the average human, it was set into a niche in the wall next to the observation platform. The Doctor carefully tried the handle. It moved. He inched the door ajar, wincing at the noise, as it slowly creaked open on rusty hinges.

Bending down and craning his head through the gap, he carefully checked to see if there were any more Daleks lurking about. The pen torch had given out some minute's ago. In the chilly confines of the passageway, there was no light other than the dim glow over the observation area. Even with his superior eyesight, the darkness behind the door was absolute. It was virtually impossible for the Doctor to tell what was there. He could barely make out the white mist of his breath drifting in front of his nose.

Withdrawing his head, the Doctor glared at the door as he pushed it open a bit further.

"No welcome mat. Not so much as a knocker or an intercom to let them know we're here. How very rude." He said indignantly.

"They're Daleks, Doctor. Aren't they supposed to have bad manners?" Clara questioned, with a raise of her eyebrows. "Anyway, I don't think they've been hunting us down to ask us in for tea."

"You're right. Dalek's have terrible manners. Never ignore common courtesy, Clara. One of the most heroic things you can ever do, is to simply care enough to be nice to someone. Mind you, it does sometimes require a little effort. It's not so easy as casually waving two fingers at some bloke on the motorway..erm—what are you doing?" The Doctor asked, noticing Clara searching around the platform.

"I'm looking for a box for you to stand on. Unless you're finished with today's lecture?"

"Manners are wasted on the young." The Doctor muttered crossly.

"Oy! I'm not that young."

"I'm nearly a thousand. How old are you?" He retorted.

"Oh, never mind, Doctor. What's your plan, then?"

Right." He said as he bent down and squeezed through the doorway. "Follow me."

Trailing the Doctor, Clara kept close behind him.

"OK, Clara. Let's see where this _goo—ooes_!"

Without warning, the Doctor was suddenly gone from in front of her. She could still hear him, though his voice was becoming ever-fainter, muffled slightly by the enclosed space.

"_Wheeeeeeeee—_!_" _

Whatever had happened to him, he certainly was having a good time, she thought. Clara took a tentative step forward. At that very second, her feet fell out from under her. She could barely catch her breath as she swiftly vanished into the black void beyond the door.

"_Docto—oor!" _Clara called out in alarm.

As she slid down a slick, zig-zagging, metal ramp to who-knew-where, she yelled, "_Oh_, _I'm so-ooo gonna'_..._Arrrgh_, _what's the use_? _When in Rome...Geronimooo—_!"

In the winking of an eye, she slid into the light. Clara gave a startled whoop when she piled into something soft. Thankfully, it was only the Doctor. Grinning like a child being given sweets, he sprang to his feet.

That's when she noticed a spiraling staircase next to them. The one that lead up to the observation platform, to a door Clara hadn't noticed before.

"_Now_ we find the stairs?" She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I spotted those when we first arrived on the platform. But I thought your door was so much more interesting, Clara."

"Leave it to you to ignore a perfectly good staircase. You could have warned me about what was behind that door, you know." Clara told him, with a shake of her head.

"But you have to admit, it was very cool. I really should install one of those things in the TARDIS. So much more fun than taking the stairs. Stairs are boring. Bad, bad, stairs." The Doctor made a face at the staircase for emphasis.

"Ahem. I hate to interrupt your play time, Doctor. But...where are we?"

They appeared to have ended up in a small room. There was a wall filled with computer screens and other equipment. Clara had no clue what they might be for. After close inspection, a fascinated Doctor provided the answer.

"Looks like a genetic modification nexus module. Dalek scientists used to use them back when they were first created. I haven't seen one of these in ages! And it looks practically brand new. How very interesting!"

"And for those of us who don't speak alien techno-geek, what's this genetic thing for?"

"In a nutshell, it's used to breed more Daleks, Clara."

"The Daleks are down here making more Daleks. Yeah, that sort of fits in with what we've seen. But what for? You think they're preparing to invade the planet? A surprise attack or something?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out." The Doctor answered grimly, as he headed to the door leading into the main cavern, "Come on."

"Wait!" Clara pulled him back by the arm, alarm written on her face. "What about all those Daleks in there?"

"I don't think they're activated. They seem to be dormant, somehow."

"You don't '_think'_?" Clara looked at the Doctor as if he'd suddenly grown two heads. "What you mean is, you're not sure. Basically, your plan is that we're just going to waltz in there like we own the place, and take our chances."

"Works for me." The Doctor shrugged.

"Er—I don't suppose you have some sort of a backup plan, Doctor? One that won't get us instantly killed if you're wrong, I mean."

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing, Clara."

As he reached for the switch that operated the door, he whispered, "But just in case, you may want to be very, very quiet."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

With caution haunting their every move, the Doctor and Clara gingerly picked their way through the dormant Dalek army. In the enormous cavern, most of the lights were dimmed. However, in the very centre of the floor were several bright spot lights. These shown down on an empty space.

Forming dozens of neatly spaced rows across the cavern, the Dalek army reminded Clara of the toy metal soldiers her uncle used to have in his basement. On a table made up like a miniature parade ground, neatly spaced lines of miniature redcoats were lined up for inspection. The main difference being of course, that this army was life-sized and armed with real weapons.

Slowly, almost holding their breaths, the Doctor and Clara threaded in and out of the rows of Daleks until they came to a straight, narrow aisle which divided their ranks. At intervals, there seemed to be some sort of portable work stations. The Doctor halted suddenly as he passed one, turned on his heel and went back.

A squat, box-like device on wheels, three sides of its surface were full of knobs and dials. Not one of which Clara knew the workings of. The only thing she recognized was the computer screen which had been built into the top.

"Ah. Now this looks promising. Clara, help me shift this contraption over there, will you?"

The Doctor directed her to the wide rectangle of empty space in the middle of the room. The precise rows Daleks surrounded it, forming a hollow square. Built into the floor of this space at varying intervals, were what she assumed were power outlets. Rolling the device into position near one of the outlets, the Doctor reached down and plugged it in.

"This machine is incredibly old, Clara. But it does still seem to be working, at least." The Doctor's fingers began tapping at the computer screen. "Ah. Not good. The Daleks are gearing up for something big, alright. There's already over five hundred here, already. But according to this, there's preparations underway for making thousands more."

"But what's it all for?" Clara asked.

"Hang on, I'm still trying to decipher this binary code."

"No need for that, Doctor." Spoke a chillingly familiar voice that made the Doctor freeze.

Sucking in his breath, the Doctor turned. His eyes glinted with hardness, as he stared at the speaker.

"Davros." He hissed angrily.

"I'd tell you what it is for, but I wouldn't want to revel my plans too soon. I hear you don't like...what is it the humans call it? Spoilers? But never fear, Doctor. I do intend to keep you around for the big finale."

Just at that moment, one by one, the front rows of Daleks began converging on the empty square in an exacting maneuver.

"I was wondering if you'd turn up again, Davros. And you're holding yet another family reunion. I must say, they do take after their mum. Too bad about that last big do of yours, though" The Doctor said. "But you know what they say. You can choose your friends, but not your relations."

The Doctor was referring to the time when Davros convinced the Daleks to make every planet in the universe disappear. Only to have the other metacrisis Doctor destroy the entire fleet, taking every Dalek—and he had thought, Davros, with it.

"And I see you still need to travel with a human companion, Doctor. How...quaint."

"Oh yeah, where are my manners? Clara, let me introduce you. This is Davros. The Dalek's mum and mad scientist extraordinaire."

Clara beheld a grotesque parody of a Dalek. It was a shriveled old man with a pale wrinkled face. He had no eyes, but a small round eyepiece, similar to a Dalek's round 'eye' was glowing from his forehead. Dressed in a black lab coat, his claw-like hands gripped the arms of the power chair he was sitting in.

Davros decided to ignore the jibe. Leaning forward, he gestured with one of his claws to the machine the Doctor had been working on .

"What were going to do with that, Doctor?" Davros asked.

"I was hoping to challenge Clara here to a game of Pac Man."

"I do not find that to be a satisfactory answer."

"Meh. Neither do I. But at least we finally agree on something."

"You make jokes, but I do not find them very amusing."

"Have you tried contacting the police?"

"I do not understand this question, Doctor. Why would I contact a policeman?"

"To check and see if anyone's turned in your lost sense of humour."

Clara could only stand and watch as the Doctor and Davros continued their back and forth conversation. It was like watching a verbal tennis match, she thought. Meanwhile, the Daleks surrounding them seemed to be barely restraining themselves, their guns twitching with desire to kill.

"I suppose we're coming to the point where you expect me to reveal my plans to you." Davros said with a smugness he could not restrain.

Tiling his head and smiling, the Doctor answered with feigned politeness, "Really? Yes, I suppose we are. That would be lovely. Cheers!"

"Trying to grasp what all this means has alluded you, I see. It will be something to muse upon while I decide on how best to dispose of you."

"I know your M.O. by now, Davros. I wrote your dossier." The Doctor smiled, but there was no trace of it in his eyes. "I take it back. You're not a mad scientist. You're a broken record. You keep playing the same old song_, 'Kill Everything Not Dalek_.'

"That was—and continues to be, the sole purpose of my work, Doctor."Davros admitted proudly. "The only way to save the Kaled way of life, was through the purity of our race. It is my greatest desire to purge all undesirables from the face of creation. Only then will the universe be the way it was always meant to be. Why should I change that? Why would I ever want to? The Daleks will continue to do my work for as long as it takes. It's what they were made for."

"If you ask me, your Daleks missed their calling. They should have been in the entertainment business. They'd make a fortune. Look at what you've got already: An ancient temple right out of Indiana Jones, glow-in-the-dark Daleks, a fun fair ride, a slide, Daleks on parade. It's like a Dalek Disneyland down here! All you need is a scary roller coaster and some cute fancy dress costumes."

"Jest if you like, Doctor" Davros said, swiveling his chair away. "You won't be laughing much longer." He backed his chair away and addressed the Daleks. "Take the Doctor to his cell."

"What, no more gloating? I'm so disappointed. That's always the best part." The Doctor said to Davros' back.

Out of the crowd of Daleks came their commander. Taller and coloured differently than the others, it rolled to a stop in front of Davros.

"I await your command, Creator." It barked out.

"You will not stop me this time, Doctor. Put him in a cell. Take his companion to the processing unit. She will become one of my warriors."

"What? No! You can't!" A suddenly horrified Doctor shouted, struggling to reach Clara.

"Doctor!" She cried out, wincing as a gun poked into her rib cage.

But the army of Daleks had already arranged themselves between Clara and the Doctor, cutting him off from her.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Before any of the Daleks could register his move, the Doctor barged his way through them. He strode up to his friend, looking at her with genuine remorse in his eyes.

"Clara, I'm so sorry." The Doctor said, taking her by the hand. "I never should have brought you here."

"_REMOVE THE PRISONER. TAKE THE FEMALE TO BE PROCESSED_." Ordered the commander, as the Daleks forced the two apart at gunpoint. "_IF THE DOCTOR MOVES AGAIN, EXTERMINATE HIM._"

Hands clenched at his side, the Doctor merely stood there. All he could do was watch as Clara was led away. With literally hundreds of Dalek guns pointing at him now, there was little else he could do.

Every fiber of his being wanted nothing more than to stop them.

Yet, he knew that it would do Clara no good if he were to be killed. Even if the Doctor should regenerate, it could take hours—perhaps days, to adjust to his new body and for his mind to function normally again. Which might well be too late to save her.

Still, he had to try.

"Whatever your plans for me are, Davros, leave her alone. Despite all this time living among the Daleks, part of you is still human. You're not a Dalek. You had a mother and a father. You had friends. Touch your own humanity for a change. Behuman again. Just this once, Davros." The Doctor urged, "Let someone _live_."

The commander Dalek standing beside the Doctor swiveled it's eye stalk in Davros' direction. Then swung its attention back to the Doctor.

"How dare you call me human!" Davros spat out, his face suddenly contorted with disbelief and rage. "I find humanity to be an abomination. A blight on the natural order of the universe. I will stamp out that blight, Doctor. Once and for all. Starting with the Earth. And soon, you will join me. Helping us to rid the cosmos of your favourite species."

"If you know me at all, Davros," the Doctor said evenly, "you'd know that I'd die, first."

"That can also be arranged, Doctor. But for now, you must wait. I have other things I must attend to. If you're thinking of escaping, I have an entire army at my disposal to ensure your confinement."

So for now the Doctor knew he had to force himself to be patient and wait. Who knew when an opportunity might present itself?

"Take him to the cells." Davros repeated the order he'd given a few moments earlier. "If the Doctor shows any sign of resistance, kill the girl. Then round up every human being within two hundred kilometers and kill them, as well."

Obviously, the Doctor thought, the opportunity wasn't right now.

"All right, Davros." He spoke softly, with bitterness lacing his voice, "You made your point. I won't resist. I'll go quietly."

Clara tried to walk slowly, but soon found that tactic to be next to useless. The Dalek guarding her back kept nudging her along, using its gun like a farmer prodding a reluctant cow back to the barn.

"_FASTER! MOVE! MOVE_!" It commanded.

"OK! Relax! I'm going." Clara told it resentfully.

"_DALEKS DO NOT NEED TO RELAX. DALEKS HAVE NO NEEDS_."

"Really? Cos' from the way that gun is pointing, I'd say you're overcompensating for something." Clara muttered.

"_CEASE TALKING! OR YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED." _

Giving a resigned sigh, Clara made sure that she kept her arms raised. It probably wouldn't take much for her captors to give in to their primal urge to kill her. The guard in front of Clara seemed to be acting as a guide of sorts. It was taking her through another of the seemingly endless black tunnels. This Dalek also came equipped the glowing blue spheres attached to its outer casing. Probably so Clara wouldn't die prematurely by tripping over a rock and breaking her neck

The pair of Daleks seemed to be taking her past some sort of laboratories. As she walked by several open doors, Clara had spied a number of low tables. Each of them was loaded down with electronics and assorted lab equipment. Then they took a sharp right turn and passed into a whole new section. This one made Clara shiver involuntarily. It wasn't just the cool temperature. Something about this place felt wrong. Her stomach tightened with apprehension.

Lining both sides of the walls of this new passage were Perspex covered cubicles. Inside, she beheld what were clearly some of the human warriors, both men and women. They seemed to be unconscious and had lines filled with different coloured fluids going into their bodies. Clara could see that many of them already had guns installed in their arms. What appeared to be artificial skin was stripped back, exposing the Dalek weaponry.

The Dalek guards walked past the compartments to a door just beyond them.

"_YOU WILL WAIT HERE_." Instructed the Dalek with the gun at her back.

"Like I have a choice?" Clara whispered to herself, as the door slid open admitting the Dalek into the lab beyond.

The Dalek with the lights took over guard duty. Seconds later, the door slid open again. A third Dalek stood in the doorway.

"_I WILL CHECK TO SEE IF THIS FEMALE IS SUITABLE FOR OUR PURPOSES." _The new Dalek said.

As the Dalek technician extended it's suction cup over the side of her head, Clara suddenly felt a physical stab of pain in her chest. Almost gorging on her fear, she nevertheless stood still. The cup withdrew. She had a brief sensation of dizziness and nausea. Thankfully, it quickly passed.

"_THE SUBJECT'S MIND IS ACCEPTABLE. WE WILL USE THE FEMALE TO CREATE A NEW DALEK WARRIOR. BRING HER_!"

"YOU WILL GO INSIDE!" Ordered one of the Dalek guards.

"Sorry boys, no can do." Clara said, talking far more bravely than she actually felt.

"_OBEY! OBEY_!" Screeched the Dalek.

"I said, no." Clara repeated, more firmly this time as she screwed up her courage. "The way I see it, if I go in there, you will make a clone of me, using my mind and my memories. After that's done, I'll be dead. If you kill me out here, I'm still going to die. But, you won't be able to use me to kill anyone. So, no. Not going in there. I choose the lesser of the two evils."

"_EXTERMINATE THE FEMALE_!" Shouted the lab technician.

"This female has a name." She told it defiantly. "You're killing Clara, in case you want to know."

"_NAMES ARE IRRELEVANT._"

Clara braced herself as the Daleks raised their guns and prepared to fire.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Surrounded by a phalanx of two dozen Daleks, the Doctor had his hands bound behind his back before being taken away. Just before they reached the door, the command Dalek rolled forward to intercept them.

"_HALT_!" It ordered the guards.

Turning to the Doctor, the command Dalek regarded him silently, it's eye stalk moving up and down.

In response, the Doctor raised curious eyebrows.

"May I be of any assistance? We have a special offer on handcuffs today." He said, turning around and flapping his hands to show them off. "Buy one and you get another half off. How about about a pink fluffy pair? Perfect for Dalek Valentine's day." Still, the commander said nothing. The Doctor shrugged. "No? Tough customer, eh?There goes my commission."

"_YOU SPOKE OF THE ONE WE HONOR AS THE FIRST DALEK._" It finally said to the Doctor.

Rolling up to the command Dalek, Davros said, "What are you doing? I ordered the Time Lord to be taken to a cell!"

Ignoring Davros, the commander questioned the Doctor further, "_YOU CALLED THE FIRST DALEK A HU-MAN. WHAT DID YOU MEAN?_"

"Davros created you, true. He even used his own DNA. But he's not a Dalek. Look at him!" The Doctor nodded his head at Davros. "He's nothing like you! He's got human hands. A human head. A human brain. I'd say he had a human heart, but there's nothing but stone in there, now. Davros in not Dalek. He is a human scientist. The ugly truth is that your lot were not created by a Dalek. But by a man."

"Do not listen to him!" A suddenly wary Davros shouted. "He is only trying to confuse you. I am Dalek. I have always been Dalek."

"_YOU LIE, DOCTOR_!" Protested the Dalek.

"You know how you got your name?" The Doctor argued, "I'll tell you. It's the name of Davros' own people, the Kaled's. Spelled backwards."

"The Doctor is only trying to make you doubt my leadership. Do not listen to him." Davros cajoled the commander, "You were given above average intelligence. Make use of that. See through the Doctor's ploy."

"Pfft! Nice try, Davros." The Doctor snorted. "I'm simply stating the facts, commander. Just be thankful that his people weren't named the Tarf's. That would be embarrassing. Though maybe not to a Slitheen."

"_WE DO NOT POSSESS SUCH INFORMATION_." The commander admitted.

"No, of course you don't." The Doctor nodded. "History is written by the victors and the obsessed, and goes unread by the lazy and the mindless. Question is, which one are you?"

"_I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION!"_

"Right. Yes." The Doctor said, as if he expected that response. "And of course it wouldn't ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, there's a reason this information was withheld from your memory core?"

"I told you to ignore the Doctor." Davros spoke to the commander accusingly. "Why do you insist on standing here, listening to him prattling on about history? History is nothing. It is the past. Where it belongs. Forgotten. I had ordered you to remove him to his cell! Why is this not being done?"

The commander swiveled to stare at its creator. After a short pause, it said, "_AND YET DAVROS, YOU YOU HAVE GIVEN US INFORMATION ABOUT PAST BATTLES. SO THAT I AND OTHER DALEKS MAY LEARN BETTER METHODS OF FIGHTING. IS THAT NOT WHAT YOU WOULD CALL, 'HISTORY_'?"

"Oooh, touchè." The Doctor winked at Davros. 'Another point to me, I think."

Turning from Davros, the commander asked, "_HOW DO WE KNOW THIS INFORMATION IS CORRECT, DOCTOR_?"

"Because you have it straight from the lips of the Oncoming Storm himself. I was there. On Skaro. In the final days of the war. The Time Lords sent me there to commit genocide. To destroy that first batch of Daleks before they were ever created. And I nearly did."

"_AND YET, YOU DID NOT. YOU FAILED._" The commander almost seemed to gloat over this fact.

"Ah, but I didn't fail. I made a choice. The contact wires were in my hand. All I had to do was move my fingers, and the Daleks would be erased from history. At the last moment, I chose not to touch off that explosion. Much to my everlasting regret."

"Yes, Doctor," Davros sneered, "you value life too much to wipe out an entire species. And that is your weakness."

"No." The Doctor frowned, "I did it because I didn't want to become someone like you, Davros." Hanging his head, he gave a tired sigh. "But in the end, maybe it made me something even worse. I don't know."

"ENOUGH! TAKE THE DOCTOR AND DAVROS TO THE HOLDING AREA." Ordered the commander.

The protests of Davros could be heard all the way down the tunnel where the Daleks kept the cells. A few minutes later, the Doctor found himself shunted into a small room with the barest of amenities.

Looking at Davros in his chair, the Doctor grinned and said with undisguised relish, "Dibs on the top bunk."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Finding herself once again under the Dalek guns, Clara acted quickly. Turning about on her heels, she held her breath, shut her eyes, and randomly pointed the sonic screwdriver in the direction of the Dalek Warriors. The Doctor had secretly passed his sonic to her when he'd shaken her hand. There was no time to guess at the correct setting. Clara merely pressed down on the button and hoped for the best.

As it happened, the Doctor had pre-programmed the sonic screwdriver for her. The device had been put on a generic position for unlocking things. However, the setting proved a bit too much for the chambers holding the captured natives.

Like a set of dominoes set into motion, each warrior's cubicle suddenly shattered in a shower of Perspex, sparks and coloured fluids. One by one, in quick succession, the warriors were released. They staggered free into the tunnel, arms flailing, moaning in pain.

"_WHAT IS HAPPENING_?" Screamed the Dalek technician anxiously.

'_ALERT! ALERT_!" Shouted one of Clara's guards. It nervously turned back and forth, dividing its attention between them and Clara. As if unsure which one to kill first. "_DALEK WARRIORS ESCAPING PROCESSING CHAMBERS_!"

Another guard shouted, "A_SSISTANCE REQUIRED FROM CENTRAL CONTROL_. _WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS, COMMANDER_?"

One half-formed Dalek Warrior, a man dressed in native garb, turned to Clara.

"Orders? You have orders? I—we, ask for orders?" He spoke almost plainitively, like a confused child.

The man had a Dalek gun attached to his arm. Clear plastic tubes hung from various parts of his body. Yet, Clara could see that there was something about him which still looked quite human. The eyes were cast with uncertainty. His entire visage appeared disjointed, bewildered. Like someone torn between two worlds. Twin minds of opposing viewpoints. The other warriors with him—both men and women, wore similar expressions.

"You're not completely Dalek yet, yeah?" Clara addressed the warrior. "So fight them. Don't let them turn you into one of them. Fight back. Now's your chance to show them you're still human."

Clara almost regretted her words as, without warning, the Dalek Warrior suddenly opened fire on the Dalek guards. Leaping back against the coarse black rock of the tunnel wall, she'd narrowly avoided the green ray emitting from the warrior's gun.

In the ensuing firefight between the warriors and the Daleks, Clara slipped away unnoticed. "Right." She said to herself. "Now all I have to do is find the Doctor, defeat the Daleks and escape back to the TARDIS, wherever that is." Giving a wry smile she shrugged, "Just another day at the office, then."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Lying on the top bunk with his hands behind his head, the Doctor was studiously ignorning Davros. He heard the gentle whine of the chair, as Davros rolled back and forth in agitation. His old arch enemy was not taking his unexpected confinement very well. He refused to talk, beyond the occasional mutterings to himself.

The Doctor however, was an old hand at this sort of thing. Instead of fretting over something he presently could do nothing about, he decided to direct his energies towards thinking. His mind wandered over the implications of what he'd seen so far. He knew that he was still in the dark as to why the Daleks were hiding in this remote location. Although, the Doctor was now beginning to form a few vague ideas. And every single one of them were unspeakable, to say the least.

Just then, he heard a faint noise coming from outside the cell door. A low hum. Sitting bolt upright, the Doctor had a smile plastered across his face as the door slid open.

"Hullo, Clara! All done with the guided tour?" He called out to her.

She frowned at him, casting a worried look over her shoulder. The Daleks guarding the cells had all been called away to the fight with the newly freed warriors. But she assumed that the Doctor wouldn't be left unguarded for much longer. And him shouting all over the place wasn't helping matters any.

"Yeah, Doctor." Clara nodded as she slipped into the cell, "But I didn't leave a tip and those grotty tour guides will be back any minute. Somehow, I don't think they'll be asking to have their photo taken with us."

"Pfft. If that's their attitude, they can forget about an autograph," the Doctor shrugged as he jumped to the floor.

"Halt! You cannot escape!" Protested Davros, as he attempted to block the doorway.

"Oh?" Raising amused eyebrows, the Doctor mocked, "How're you gonna' stop me, Davros? Run me over with your bath chair?"

"I will alert the guards!"

"Meh, I think not. Sorry."

"You cannot stop me, Doctor!"

"Maybe I can't. But my gaffer tape certainly can." The Doctor said, producing a small roll of tape from his trouser pocket.

Moments later, Davros was parked in a corner of the cell. His mouth was taped shut. And the Doctor made sure that his hands were safely secured to the arms of the chair, well away from the control switches.. As they exited the cell, Davros' one blue eye glared intensely at them, like some demented cylops.

Once they were on their way, Clara asked, "You carry gaffer tape around with you?"

"Not usually. I borrowed it from this nice American chap named MacGyver. That reminds me. I think I still have his Swiss army knife. Whoops," the Doctor winced, "hope he doesn't need it for anything."


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello! Sorry for the pause between chapters. Had a bit of real life get in the way of my fan fiction writing. Anyway, I finally have a few days to sit here at my desk and watch mother nature puke snow all over central New York state, as it will do. I've got a Doctor Who soundtrack playing and the dreaded blank page staring at me. What's going to happen next? Damned if I know. I just make this stuff up as I go along. This chapter is short because I'm still trying to work out some things in the plot. Chapter 19 is a teaser. **

**My appreciation goes out to the couple of dozen people out there in the world who've actually taken the time to read this naff ol' story of mine. And, I'll take this time to remind the fanfiction community that _Doctor Who_ is entirely owned by the BBC, bless the Who-folk in Wales. Daleks are owned by the Terry Nation estate. I make no claims. This is just my play time. And I'm having a blast. :-) Cheers, NBG. 16-2-2014**

Chapter 19

The Doctor, with Clara trailing slightly behind him, was quickly making his way down the tunnel. 

"Do you have any idea where you are going, Doctor?" Clara asked him skeptically.

"Er—away from the Daleks that are trying to kill us, I think. Hopefully?" The Doctor responded tentatively.

There was only the light of the pen torch to guide them, which made the pair slow down somewhat. As the two of them rounded a corner, behind them they heard the shouts of the guards.

"_THE WARRIORS HAVE BEEN SUBDUED._"

"_BUT_ _THE DOCTOR HAS ESCAPED."_

"_WE MUST FIND THE DOC-TOR_!"

"_WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER THREE PRISONERS?_'

"_EXTERMINATE THEM!" _

"_WE ARE TO KILL THE FIRST DALEK?" _

"_HE IS NOT THE FIRST DALEK. EXTERMINATE HIM. HE IS NO LONGER OF ANY USE TO US_."

"_I OBEY!_"

"Oh, great. I really wish they hadn't of said that." The Doctor sighed, slowing down.

Clara boggled, "What? Wait! You're not making sense...again. I thought this Davros was your enemy? Does it matter what they do to him? He wanted to kill us. He wants to kill everybody."

"I know, I know." He said, running his fingers through his hair. "Much as I would love a universe without Davros, I can't just walk away from cold-blooded murder, Clara. I just can't. That's not who I am. That's not who I ever want to be. Can you understand that?"

"Yes. Of course I can." She said, fondly. "Why do you think I let you hang out with me?"

"Hang out with you? Wait. Hold the phone." The Doctor turned and looked behind him, a puzzled expression on his face. "Did they just say _three _otherprisoners?

"Yeah. I guess." Clara shrugged.

"There's me, there's you, there's Davros...then who's—?"

"Are you gonna' just stand there Doctor, or are you going to help me blow this place to kingdom come?" Said an all-too-familiar voice from behind them.

"No. It can't be. Impossible." The Doctor turned. He stared.

At first the Doctor looked dismayed. "Oh no. What are _you _doing here?" His face slowly spread with a delighted smile. "Never mind. I don't wanna' know. I just am very pleased to see you. Now the Daleks will never know what hit them."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

From around the corner came the familiar whirr of Dalek motivators. Clara turned to find herself face to face with a Dalek. She drew in a breath as it lowered its gun at her.

"Somehow I think Davros is on his own now, Doctor." She swallowed.

The Doctor quickly moved in front of Clara to protect her. However, before the Dalek could do anything, a bright red light shot out from behind them. In an instant, the Dalek's head was shattered, leaving only a thin, foul smelling trail of smoke smouldering up towards the tunnel roof.

"Take that, you moth—"

"Mum's the word, Jack! No swearing. Or I'll have to wash your mouth out with Carrionite soap. Again. And you know by now how foul that is." The Doctor admonished. Then, he smiled. "Thanks, by the way."

Jack shot the Doctor a disgusted look. Then gestured to the weapon he was holding.

"Anti-Dalek gun. Developed by my Torchwood team after the battle of Canary Wharf. Unfortunately, they couldn't quite get it to work properly. The barrel kept melting. I had some free time lately, so I perfected it, got it working properly." Jack told him, slinging a black rifle by its strap over his shoulder. "That's why the Daleks captured me. They wanted a closer look at it. Obviously, they got a little too close and I escaped."

"I'd say introductions are in order," Clara said, "but I think right now would be a really good time to get out of here. Unless Doctor, your big plan is for us to stand around chatting long enough to get killed?"

"Hello!" Jack grinned down at Clara as the three of them took off running down the tunnel.

"Oh that's lovely. Even being chased by Daleks the man still has to have a flirt." The Doctor grimaced.

"I don't mind." Clara said, "Who's your friend?"

"Captain Jack Harkness, at your service." Jack flashed Clara his most charming smile as he ran beside the Doctor. "I don't know about you sometimes, Doctor. Seems to me, the older you get, the prettier your companions become."

"Oy! Old?" A hurt look crossed the Doctor's face. "I'm only a thousand. That's barely middle aged for a Time Lord."

"You think I'm pretty?" Clara raised her eyebrows at Jack.

"Oh yes." His grin grew wider. "And believe me, I've seen a _lot_ of pretty girls in my time. And boys. And clones. There were these twin clones once, boy and a girl, and..."

"Jack! I'm telling you. Not now." The seemingly disgruntled Doctor said.

"I'm Clara Oswald. I take it you're a friend of the Doctor's."

"Er—usually." Jack replied, glancing at the Doctor's unhappy face.

"Erm—if you don't mind me asking. Do either of you know where are we going?" Clara asked.

Because, at that moment, they had come to another T-junction in the tunnels. The three of them slid came to a halt.

"Yes." The Doctor said firmly. He pointed left. "That way, I think."

"Actually, we're going that way." Jack corrected him, pointing to the right.

"I think you'll find, Jack, that I know the way back to my own TARDIS." The Doctor huffed.

"And I think you'll find, Doctor, that I know the way to the Dalek's cyclotron particle accelerator."

"Oh." The Doctor said simply. Then he flashed a delighted grin at Jack. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go blow up some Daleks!"


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Follow me! I know the way from here." Jack told the Doctor after a good ten minutes of threading their way through a dizzying array of underground passages.

Leading them on, Jack took them down a narrow tunnel until the three of them came to what seemed to be a dead end. Facing the Doctor was a blank wall of smooth, slate gray rock. Raising his eyebrows he glared at Jack.

"I am loving your superb sense of direction there, Captain. It's a shame Torchwood didn't develop..say...I dunno'...a _compass_?"

"As it happens, I know exactlywhere we are, Doctor." Jack sniffed.

"So do I." The Doctor responded testily. "And I believe it's called a dead end."

"As a matter of fact it's—"

"Oy!" Clara admonished with a shake of her head, "You two! This isn't the school playground. Oh, never mind. Let's just get on with this, right?"

With that, Clara bent down and pressed her hand against a projecting piece of rock. Instantly, the wall glided silently open. Without another word, she stepped through.

"How did she know that was there?" An astonished Jack asked the Doctor.

"Erm—?" Looking askance at Clara, he appeared just as baffled.

"_She_ is standing right here, you know." Clara sighed. "And I could see the crack in the rock where the door was. Which you would have also seen, Doctor, if you'd stop picking on Jack."

"I wasn't—!" The Doctor protested.

"You were." Jack said accusingly. Then without warning, he leaned over and kissed the Doctor on the cheek. With a mischievous grin he added, "But I forgive you."

"Did you _have_ to do that here, Jack?" The Doctor whispered, making a face, "What if the Dalek's had seen? How scary do you think I'd be to them if they thought I went around kissing everyone? They'd have to change my nickname from The Oncoming Storm to The Oncoming Snogger_._"

"You're right, Doctor. Daleks are rubbish on a date. They always threaten to exterminate the waiter. Though that is one way to get better service."

"Where is this cy—what was it called again?" Clara asked.

"Cyclotron particle accelerator." Jack answered. "Big thing. Believe me, you can't miss it."

"Never heard of it. What's it do?"

"Helps to power the weapon the Daleks are planning to use on this planet. They want to turn earth into molten slag, then use the raw materials as energy for something big Davros was building." Turning to face the Doctor Jack said, "From what I could gather, it's something every bit as dangerous as his reality bomb. So you know what we need to do."

With an abruptly somber glance at Clara, the Doctor nodded and said softly, "Yeah. I know, Jack. And believe me, I wish I didn't."

Clara didn't say anything, but she wasn't sure she liked the tone of the Doctor's voice. Something was very wrong. But she knew by now that he might never tell her what it was—or only tell her when he felt he had no other choice. Clara decided if things were that serious, she would just play along for now.

Unlike the tunnels they'd been in most of the day, this time the three of them were in a long, almost clinically white hallway. At the end was a large steel door. Opening it carefully, the Doctor and the others found themselves inside a cavernous room. It was like being inside a factory or the boiler room of a passenger liner. Steam rose from a vast complex of pipes. The chamber was dark in places, but mainly it appeared to be lit by purple, red and yellow utility lights.

Taking up the centre of the room was an enormous round chamber, about twenty meters across and thirty meters high.

"And that's this cyclotron thing, I take it?" Clara pointed.

"Yes. Now let's go do this, Jack. We haven't much time."

As she made to follow them, the Doctor faced her and put his hand out.

"No. Not you, Clara" He said gently, but firmly. "I need you to stay here. Keep an eye out for Daleks."

"And I can't do that just as well from over there with you, can I?" She asked suspiciously, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Look, Clara. I..." He stared at her, as she stood there with her hands on her hips. Clara's expression told the Doctor that he was probably wasting his breath. Giving an exasperated sigh he relented, "OK. Alright. I give up! You can stop making that face at me, now. Come on, then. I suppose you can watch just as well from over there."

Stalking over to the chamber, where Jack was already waiting for him, the Doctor suddenly looked suspicious.

"You notice anything, Jack?"

"Meaning that there's no Daleks around? Yeah. Now that you mention it, I kinda' did notice that, Doctor."

"You think it's a trap?" A suddenly worried Clara asked.

"Could be. It doesn't make sense that they'd leave an important piece of machinery like this unguarded." Jack told her.

"Maybe they don't have to." The Doctor told them. "Have a look at this."

Both Jack and Clara leaned forward to peer over the Doctor's shoulder. There was a box attached to the side of the cyclotron. On it was something resembling a key pad.'

"There must be a code of some kind. Can't you figure it out?" Clara asked.

They saw that the keypad was laid out like a grid, with no numbers or letters, only red and black coloured squares.

The Doctor was bent down studying it intently. "Working on it, Clara. It's a sequence of some sort. I just have to find out the pattern. Jack, watch my back, will you? I rather not have any interruptions. You know what bad manners Daleks have. And both of you be quiet just this once. I need to concentrate."

"Sure thing, Doctor." Jack responded, un-slinging his anti-Dalek rifle. He faced the way they came in, his eyes alert, scanning for any signs of movement.

"Always got to get in the last word." The Doctor muttered as he took a deep breath. "Right. Let's do this, Doctor ol' son."

Clara watched in silence as the Doctor's fingers deftly tapped a sequence into the red and black keys of the keypad. To her, they seemed entirely random. But as the Doctor's right index finger tapped one final key, there was an audible click from the access panel.

"There we are! Easy as falling off a log. And I have done, just ask Paul Bunyan. Oh, I'm so very good!" A jubilant Doctor punched the air. Then noticed that no one else was doing it. "I suppose neither of you want to high five me, either." He grumbled. "Mood killers."

"Don't you think that was too easy, though?" Clara suggested.

Just as she said that, a red light began flashing over the keypad. It read, "_DEVICE ARMED._"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"I've gotta' say Clara, when you're right, you're right." The Doctor sighed.

"Good. So we're getting the hell out of here, then?" Jack said urgently.

"You and Clara go."

Clara and Jack both halted before they could sprint off. They turned to gape at the Doctor. He was still standing there, hunched over the keypad.

"I wonder." The Doctor said, eying the warning indicator. Its red pulsing light reflected off his face. "Would the Daleks use such a simple code? A code they'd know I could very well crack? Is there a device that's about to blow us and this planet out of existence? Or do they just want to make us think there is?"

"Er—sorry to interrupt your deep philosophical moment, Doctor. But just as a reminder, this is the part where we run for our lives. Remember?" Clara said nervously.

"Yes, yes. I know, Clara." The Doctor responded shortly. "But I'm not convinced this warning is real."

"Doctor." Jack shook his head, "If you blow yourself up, you know you're not going to regenerate."

"But this was simply way too easy, Jack. Can't you see? It appears to be a trap. The lack of guards, the easy access. That code was easier than Rubik's Cube. And I should know. I invented it for Emò to give him something to do. One helluva' gossip. Couldn't shut him up! Didn't know he was going to patent the thing. And he still owes me royalties, come to think of it."

"Maybe I should invent a puzzle for you, then." Jack muttered under his breath. Out loud he said, "In my experience, if it looks like a trap and feels like a trap..." 

"But maybe the Daleks _want_ me to think it's a trap. Maybe the trap in itself is a trap."

"Never thought I'd hear the word 'trap' said quite so often before." Clara shook her head. "Especially when there's a great big bomb just a few meters away."

Jack squinted suspiciously at the Doctor. "Have you been eating one of those Androgum mushroom omelets again?"

"I don't think now's the time to bring up that particular experience, if you don't mind, Jack." The Doctor responded uncomfortably. "And I didn't know the chef was an Androgum, if you remember."

"Oh, I think you'll find it was a trap, Doctor" Came a voice out of thin air. Davros' voice. "A most delicious trap."

In the air above them suddenly floated a holo-image of Davros. He sat there in his chair, gloating down at them. Behind him were ranked hundreds of Daleks.

"I hope you liked our little charade. I've been planning this for such a long time. The capture. The escape. Letting Captain Harkness find our plans. It was all leading down to this moment. The moment when you, not me, destroy the earth, Doctor."

"You get so cranky when you're hungry, Davros." The Doctor said flippantly, trying to hide his anger. Gesturing with his hands for emphasis, he shouted up to the holo-Davros, "Why don't you take a break from being a bitter old—whatever you are? Go and eat a Snickers bar or something."

"You pretend to be calm. Yet, I see your anger, Doctor. And I find that worth waiting for. You see, I know you by now. You wouldn't be able to resist getting to the cyclotron. And I also knew that only you could crack that code. The code," Davros added with undisguised relish, "that triggers my World Crusher."

Leaning forward in his chair, Davros stabbed a finger at the Doctor. "You Doctor, and you alone. You are the one who set off the bomb which will destroy this planet in...five minutes. Meanwhile, I and my Daleks will be safely teleported off world, waiting in our ships to begin construction of a device to end all life in the universe. Only Daleks will reign supreme!"

In the background, the Doctor and the others could hear the Daleks chant, "_DALEKS ARE SUPREME! DALEKS ARE SUPREME_!"

"Enjoy the last moments of your life, Doctor." The flickering image of Davros pronounced from over their heads. "And know that you helped to end, not just this world, but every world in all of time and space."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

_While I don't usually dedicate my stories to anyone, I do want to dedicate this chapter to the amazing Russell T. Davies. A truly wonderful, challenging & inspiring writer. I know you'll never-ever read this, but thank you so much for bringing the Doctor back into my life, at a time when I needed him the most. You absolutely helped save my life. You are my hero._

"Enjoy the last moment's of your life, Doctor." Davros had said.

The Doctor cocked his head at the image of Davros floating above him.

With a smirk, he replied, "On a scale of one to ten of enjoyable things, I'd give it a...I dunno, a four and a half?" He smiled, "But I have to say that I do find _this_ moment, quite a satisfying one."

With that, the Doctor's hand shot out. With a smug expression, he pointed the sonic screwdriver at the ceiling and pressed the button. Suddenly, in the background behind Davros' chair, there came sparks from the hundreds of individual Daleks. Each and every one of them began screaming in protest.

"_TRANSMAT LINK TERMINATED! ALERT! ALERT!"_

"Impossible! This cannot happen. What have you done, Doctor?" an agitated Davros ranted, as part of his chair too, gave a sudden spark.

"I'd think it was pretty self-explanatory at this point. But if you're that thick...? I just shorted out all the transmat links. And—" He pretended to look at his watch, "oh, will you look at the time? You've just three minutes left. Still, that's good for farewell drinks at the local. You do have a pub down here?"

"Doctor," wheedled Davros, trying another tack, "If you fix the transmat, I will give you the code that disarms the bomb."

"I'd like to see things from your point of view, Davros. Really, I would." The Doctor answered, "But I don't think I can cram my head that far up your, er,..._chair_."

"Doctor! Fix the link. Or I will have your friends killed." Davros demanded, his claw-like hand stabbed out, pointing in accusation, "You will watch them die first, if you do not do as I say."

"Pfft! You call that a threat? We're going to die anyway. Does it matter what order it happens in?"

"Er—yeah. It kinda' does, Doctor." Clara murmured. Jack looked at her and only shrugged.

"You will restore power to the transmats, Doctor." Davros ordered.

"Why?" The Doctor shot back. "Do you think I want to save you? Well, I'm not that man anymore. Haven't been for a very long time. I killed my entire species to end the war with the Daleks. Did you think this was some bedtime story? Sometimes there are no happy endings. We can't always have things our own way. We're all going to die. Me, you, the Daleks. Quel dommages, Davros." The Doctor stared the image of Davros in the eye. Defiantly, he spat out, "I am. _The_. Oncoming Storm."

"Uh, Doctor." Jack said softly, "Sorry to interrupt your little confab, but I think we've got company coming."

Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw a Dalek gliding towards them from across the room.

"One of you boys has wandered in, I see. Bit late for the guided tour. Already did that. Absolute rubbish, if you ask me. Not even a souvenir postcard or a stick of peppermint rock on offer. And you'd think in a place like this there'd be at some candy rock for sale. I'm very disappointed in you, Davros."

"You will do it, now Doctor. Or the girl will die."

"Now, you shouldn't have said that. Cos' she's not just a girl. She's the impossible girl!" The Doctor said triumphantly, throwing Clara his sonic.

"Take that," He pointed to a place directly beside her, "and point it at that exact spot in the floor in about, oh...forty-five seconds, will you, Clara?" He asked her.

"If you say so, Doctor." She nodded, deciding his track record was worthy of her trust.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing, Doctor." Jack said, as he shouldered his anti-Dalek rifle.

"_EXTERMINATE_!" The approaching Dalek shouted, aiming for Clara.

"I don't think so." Jack said, he shot the Dalek with his gun.

But as the red ray streaked out from the gun's muzzle, it flowed over the Dalek. The Dalek was stalled, but it still was able to speak and wiggle its sucker arm.

"_FORCE FIELD ACTIVATING_!"

'They've developed a force field against this thing already? That was quick." Jack muttered. "Better hurry, Doctor. This won't hold it off for much longer."

"My Daleks can adapt to fight against any weapon. Surrender and deactivate the transmat block. You haven't a chance." Davros gloated.

"_KILL THEM! KILL THEM! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!_" Screamed the hundreds of Daleks behind him.

"Oy! I am seriously going to need some aspirin, if they keep going on like that." The Doctor winced. "Why couldn't you invent a mute button, Davros?"

At that very moment, the enormous round cyclotron began to give off a high-pitched whine. Smoke began pouring out of the top. The machine began shaking so much, that the floor vibrated and pipes inside the room began bursting, belching steam into the air.

"Very well. The Daleks will be destroyed. The three of you will die. So be it." Davros said ungraciously. "But at least I'll have the satisfaction of knowing that time and space will be rid of you, Doctor, once and for all."

"Meh. Maybe not. Sorry." The Doctor said. He looked at Clara. "Do it. Now."

Before the cyclotron blew up, the three of them disappeared. They appeared again inside the underground temple, beside the altar. The Doctor wasted no time. They made a mad dash to the TARDIS through falling rock, the marble columns supporting the temple roof collapsing around them.

Seconds later, the sound of the TARDIS de-materialization was nearly drowned out by the whole temple collapsing in on itself. Safely outside once more, they stood in front of the doors on a distant mountainside, miles away.

All at once, the entire mountain housing the Dalek's tunnel complex vanished in a roar of fire and smoke. Rocks were spewed into the air as a dense gray mushroom cloud rose towards the sky. Even at that distance, the Doctor and his companions could feel the ground shaking. When the smoke cleared, there was no mountain. Just a huge crater filled with hot molten rock.

"Yow-za!" The Doctor shouted, enjoying the show.

Clara and Jack merely gave him a look.

"Erm—OK. Maybe not so much of a yowza, as an 'awesome!'?" He asked tentatively.

"How will anyone explain this, Doctor?" Clara pointed to the crater.

"You know how people are. They'll say that it's just another volcano, I expect." Jack answered. "Right, Doctor?"

"And what about you then, Doctor?" She asked.

"What about me?"

"You wanted to save Davros. when we first escaped Yet you had no problem letting him die. Sometimes I don't understand you, Doctor. "

"Then maybe you shouldn't try." He answered shortly, opening the door of the TARDIS and stepping inside.

As they entered the control room, Jack gave Clara a worried look. He shook his head to warn her, but she wasn't going to be put off. She stood in front of him and spoke more softly.

"Look, Doctor. I wouldn't travel with you if I believed for a second that you were some cold blooded killer. I'm just trying to understand. Why did you want to save him in the first place?"

"Because..." The Doctor struggled to explain a side of him he wasn't sure he understood, himself. "I have to at least try to be better than that, Clara."

"Fair enough. And that's why I _do_ travel with you, Doctor." She said, reaching up on her toes to give him a peck on the cheek.

"I don't think Davros really is dead though, Clara." Jack said.

"What makes you think that, Jack?" The Doctor asked, as he worked at the controls. "Not that I'm doubting you."

"It's something he said, just before we got away. That the Daleks were going to die. And us, too. But he never said a word about himself."

"I guess," The Doctor sighed, as he piloted his faithful ship through the vortex, "that we'll just have to wait and see."

"Yeah, not something I'm looking forward to." Jack nodded. "By the way, would you mind dropping me off in Palm Springs while you're at it? I left a gorgeous pair of blonds waiting for me at the country club."

"So you're a real ladies man, eh, Jack?" Clara joked, nuging him with her elbow.

"Actually, they're twin brothers. Synchronized swimmers. Fortunately for me, swimming isn't the only thing they can synchronize..."

"Right, lets get you home then, captain!" The Doctor interrupted before Jack could elaborate any further.


End file.
